


Like a Moth to a Flame

by Amlette



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Anxiety, Dubious Consent, Eventual Smut, F!Byleth, F/M, Knotting, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Plot, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-01-28 22:56:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 17
Words: 60,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21400009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amlette/pseuds/Amlette
Summary: Alphas and Omegas find themselves drawn to each other, just as the Goddess intended so long ago. Now, in Imperial Year 1180, a prince and a professor come together to face a danger from an age long past. Duty and responsibility weigh heavily upon them as the years go by, but still they strive to create a brighter future for Fodlan.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 235
Kudos: 601





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This fic tells the story of Three Houses, but with a few new twists and turns. I have played all four routes so be warned that there will be literally ALL the spoilers. At this point my best guess is that this will be 45% plot, 40% romance/angst, and 15% smut. 
> 
> I am inspired by [SenLinYu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SenLinYu)’s Dramione fanfiction. Apparently I have a thing for men that are tall, blonde, and traumatized.
> 
> Many, many thanks to [Katjae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katjae) and my husband for being my beta readers.

It is said that the Goddess descended upon Fodlan over a thousand years ago, appearing in the wake of a long and bloody war that destroyed nearly all life upon the continent. Driven by compassion for the poor creatures of the land, she blessed the barren soil and restored vitality to the plants and animals that depended on it. Taking on a human-like form to live among the few remaining people, she became known to them as a goddess of peace and creation, the Progenitor God.

Laboring thusly for several hundred years drained the Goddess and exhausted much of her power. Eventually she turned her eyes towards the heavens from whence she came, seeking a place to rest. But after spending so many years among humans, the Goddess felt a sort of kinship with them and desired that they continue to thrive long after her departure. Therefore, before she retired to the Blue Sea Star, the Goddess bestowed a powerful drive to procreate upon all the men and women she encountered.

The blessed men grew more muscular and dominant, and developed additional tissue, called a knot, at the base of their penis. To the women, the Goddess gave a more sensitive and nurturing disposition. She also modified their hormonal cycles so that they would go into heat and be compelled to mate when their fertility was highest. During this time, any nearby men would be induced to rut, a similar hormonally-charged state that would exacerbate their divine traits and provide them with the stamina necessary to meet the woman’s constant need.

She also granted these men and women enhanced senses and new anatomy that would help them seek each other out, including a heightened sense of smell and scent glands on their neck and wrists. Individuals could be identified by their pheromones, which were emitted from these glands and were also found in their saliva and semen or slick. With this new biology, men became able to establish a mating bond with a woman by piercing one of her scent glands and saturating it with their own pheromones. This bond was a reciprocal empathetic connection and was viewed as a sacred manifestation of the Goddess’s power.

In addition to these gifts, the Goddess also bequeathed mighty weapons and a small bit of her power, in the form of crests, to her strongest and most faithful followers. These gifts were intended to be used to guide the people of Fodlan and to aid them in defending the continent from outside invaders.

Unfortunately, not long after the Goddess departed, human nature began to distort one recipient of her divine power; Nemesis, the King of Liberation, became corrupted by his greed and began a war against the followers of the Goddess. After many years of conflict, Nemesis was put down by Saint Seiros and the ten Elites. His bloodline was ended and his divine weapon was reclaimed by the newly-founded Church of Seiros.

A millennium later, the crest-bearing descendants of the ten Elites still rule over the continent of Fodlan, but many of the old bloodlines have become weaker. The occurrence of those other divinely-imparted traits has become rarer and rarer over the years. The men and women for whom the Goddess’s blessing does manifest at sexual maturity have come to be known as Alphas and Omegas. Those who fail to present the traits are designated as Betas and live out their lives much the same as the humans that lived prior to the Goddess’s arrival in Fodlan.

Consequently, Alphas and Omegas, whether noble or commoner, are perceived to be closely associated with the Goddess. Omegas are especially revered, as their high fertility echoes the Progenitor God’s powers of creation.

However there are those among the less devout that see Omegas as more useful than divine. Certain nobles desire Omegas because they wish to sire many children in the hopes that one will bear their crest. In some parts of Fodlan, this has led to the abduction of commoner Omegas, who are then sold to noble families. To reduce this risk, many Omegas regularly take a tea made from crushed Verona seeds, which have been found to prevent their heats and suppress their pheromones.

The highest concentration of Alphas and Omegas can be found nestled between the peaks of the Oghma Mountains, at Garreg Mach Monastery. As the home of the Church of Seiros, many Omegas, who often feel a calling toward religion, journey there to become monks. Similarly, the defenders of the church, the Knights of Seiros, actively recruit Alphas into their ranks. The monastery also hosts the Officer’s Academy, where young nobles and the most gifted commoners study the art of warfare. As the descendants of the ten Elites and brightest of the populace, these students often manifest the Goddess’s blessing.

It is here, at Garreg Mach, that Alphas and Omegas find themselves brought together under the Goddess’s watchful gaze, just as she desired so long ago. Here, at Garreg Mach, is where this story begins.

* * *

Jeralt Eisner presented as an Alpha shortly after arriving at Garreg Mach. It was a pleasant surprise considering he had still been too young to grow a beard when he joined the Knights of Seiros. He quickly adjusted to his newly-manifested physiology, finding his enhanced strength quite useful on the battlefield. After several years, he became captain of the Knights and earned himself the epithet ‘the Blade Breaker.’

His life at the monastery continued uneventfully, until one day he fell in love.

She was one of the monks that lived and worked at Garreg Mach. Jeralt had never before seen anyone so captivating as her. He found himself drawn to her, like a moth to a flame. She seemed to call out to his very soul whenever she smiled at him from afar.

Jeralt religiously attended the services in the cathedral whenever his duties allowed, but it was only so that he could gaze at her while she sang in the choir that stood behind the altar. He felt as though somehow he could pick her voice out from all the others, and it resonated with something deep in his heart.

He had only discovered she was an Omega once he had finally gotten close enough to speak to her. Following that realization, he knew he could never let her go. He felt compelled to protect her, cherish her, and care for her. Thankfully she returned his affections and they were wed and bonded not long after.

The scent of sweet alyssum that clung to her grew stronger after she stopped taking the medicine that suppressed her Omega traits. Jeralt had never anticipated becoming a father, but as her heat drew nearer it seemed to be the only thing he could think about.

Even if he hadn’t been able to see his beloved’s smiles, Jeralt would have known how ecstatic she was to be expecting a child. He relished the joy that flowed through their bond and into his heart every day. He began to envision an idyllic future for the three of them, looking forward to spending evenings by the fire with his mate while bouncing a smiling babe on his knee.

Then when the baby finally came, Jeralt was overflowing with anxiety. He had been feeling his mate’s distress through the bond for the last several hours and it was driving him mad. He needed to be with her, to fix whatever was causing her pain, but they wouldn’t let him in the damn infirmary! He nearly tore the door off its hinges before his knights pulled him away and calmed him down.

Jeralt began to feel nauseous as the scent of blood seeped out into the hallway where he was pacing. Even though he had seen and smelled plenty of it in his life before now, it was unsettling to know that it was his wife’s. Then his attention was focused entirely inward as suddenly her pain flickered and a myriad of emotions flew through the bond in quick succession: relief, agony, fear, and hope.

He had no idea what that meant. With so many of her own emotions, he wondered if she could even detect his worry. He hoped not, as he didn’t want to add to her distress, but at the same time he thought that she might find comfort in feeling him there with her.

Jeralt was startled from his thoughts by the strongest pulse of pure love searing into him, then it seemed to taper off and diminish, until there was… nothing.

He was petrified.

He couldn’t feel her emotions any more. It was empty, there was nothing! He pounded his fist on the infirmary door. Where was she? Why was his heart so empty all of a sudden?

When he realized what must have happened, a grief large enough for two hearts took root in his chest. It was silent as he pressed his forehead against the wall and forced himself to breathe. He had lost her. She was gone, and there was no baby crying inside, and he was empty and all alone.

The infirmary door creaked open gently and his tear-filled eyes widened in disbelief. There stood Rhea, smiling sadly at a tiny bundle that she held cradled in her arms. She entered the hall where he waited and closed the door behind her. “Your daughter, Jeralt,” she said quietly as she held out the bundle to him.

With shaking hands, Jeralt reached out and took the baby from her. He gazed down at her tiny, placid face for a moment, tears threatening to fall upon it, before looking up at the Archbishop. “What happened to my wife?”

“She asked me to save the child. I-” Rhea pressed her lips together and squeezed her eyes shut. “I could not save them both,” she said. “Jeralt, I am so… so sorry.”

He felt something break inside him. He moved toward the infirmary to grieve over his dead wife’s body, but the Archbishop stood blocking the door. Unwilling to push her out of the way, he snarled at her. “Let me see her.”

Rhea did not move. “You need to rest, Jeralt,” she said, a stern expression crossing her features. “Rest and spend time with your daughter.” She nodded towards the bundle in his arms.

His anger and frustration built up like dark storm clouds. “Don’t you tell me what I need to do, Rhea!” he thundered. “I need to see her!”

Rhea stood motionless, eyes narrowing further. “She is not fit to be seen by any man,” she growled.

Jeralt held the baby close to his chest. “You will not keep her from me! She is my wife!” he bellowed.

“And my daughter!” she roared back at him. No longer able to contain her emotions, Rhea began to sob into her hands.

Jeralt was shocked into silence. He hadn’t known. The hollowness in his chest seemed to throb painfully. He looked down as the baby squirmed in his arms, but did not cry.

Rhea dried her eyes on her sleeves and sniffed, attempting to regain her composure. “She is hungry,” she said matter-of-factly. “I will have someone bring you milk and a cloth for her to suckle from.”

Jeralt nodded mutely, thoughts suddenly blank. Empty. He took the baby to the rooms that were supposed to be a home for the three of them.

The next day, he held Byleth in his arms as they laid his wife in the ground. Rhea had returned the ring he had given her upon their engagement, but had not let him see her body.

Despite having his daughter by his side, Jeralt had never felt more alone in his life. The emptiness inside his heart ached without relief. He missed his wife terribly, he regretted not being with her in her final moments, and he felt as though this was somehow entirely his fault.

He had killed her, he thought. He should not have pursued her. He should not have bonded with her. He should not have gotten her pregnant. But at the same time, he did not regret a single minute of the happiness that they had shared together.

He felt betrayed by the Goddess. How could she give him such an intimate connection with another being, and then take that gift away?

And while Jeralt loved his daughter dearly, he could tell that there was something… off about Byleth. She did not laugh nor cry, as a baby normally would. She did not even smile. Concern drove him to have her examined by an incredulous doctor who claimed that, while she did have a pulse, Byleth’s heart did not beat.

He became suspicious of Rhea. Why had she not allowed him to see his wife’s body? What had she done to Byleth to allow her to live and breathe without a heartbeat? Why did his child not cry?

So he followed the only path that seemed to remain to him. He took Byleth and left Garreg Mach behind.

It was many moons before Jeralt could process even just some of the grief he held for his mate. But despite that, despite his fears of being found by the church, and despite the many hardships of raising a child as a mercenary, the years he spent watching his daughter grow were some of the happiest of his life.

The emptiness he felt never fully disappeared, and some days were worse than others, but he found solace in teaching their daughter about the world around her. He taught Byleth to walk and talk, though she never spoke much. When she got a little older, he taught her how to set up the tent and build a fire, how to bait a hook and catch a fish, and how to saddle and ride a horse.

Eventually, Jeralt began to teach Byleth to fight. They started with fists, followed by several unsuccessful lessons with the lance, but then she took to the sword like a pegasus to the sky. He had been so proud of her the first time she landed a hit while training with one of the mercenaries. He couldn’t help but chuckle when she had acknowledged the event with only a satisfied nod of her head before slipping back into a fighting stance.

Byleth was working regularly with the rest of the mercenaries by the time she was sixteen. As she grew into maturity, Jeralt watched her for the signs that she would present as an Omega, the most obvious being the itching as her scent glands developed, but no such evidence ever manifested.

The last several years had been good for the mercenary company: enough work to keep them fed, nothing extraordinarily dangerous, and jobs spread out enough to keep them moving away from the eyes of the church. Byleth had become a fearsome warrior in her own right. Her emotionless intensity on the battlefield had led the other mercenaries to nickname her ‘the Ashen Demon.’

Yes, Jeralt was quite content with how life had been going. Of course, that only meant that things were about to change.

He could have killed Alois for recommending Byleth for the professor’s position at Garreg Mach. Even after all these years, he was still wary of Rhea. Although Byleth had grown up to be relatively normal, she still didn’t ever show emotions.

But that began to change as time went on. Byleth slipped easily into her new role, and she seemed to be getting along surprisingly well with the little brats she taught. She even smiled at them from time to time.

The first time Jeralt saw her smile, she had reminded him of her mother so much that his half-empty heart ached like the day she had passed away.

She looked so much like her mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning(s) for Chapter 1: Graphic violence

A dank miasma seeped out of the rift in the stone when Dedue and Sylvain pulled the bookcase further out from the wall, sending several volumes tumbling onto the blood-stained carpet in the process. Byleth felt a chill wash over her as she stared down the steps that receded into the darkness.

“Do you think Flayn is down there, Professor?” Mercedes asked, peering over Byleth’s shoulder.

Sylvain bent down, braced his hand against the wall, and stuck his head into the chest-high opening. “I can hear something,” he said, closing his eyes to concentrate for a moment. “It sounds like… hoof beats?” He tilted his head, confused.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Sylvain. How would a horse even get through here?” Ingrid gestured at the mouth of the tunnel.

He pushed back out of the passageway, throwing his arms up in exasperation. “Well, I don’t know! That’s just what it sounds like.”

“There must be another entrance,” Dedue said.

A gentle touch to her elbow drew Byleth’s attention away from the stairwell. Ashe’s voice quavered as he asked, “Professor, wh- what if someone is in there?”

“Then they know we’re up here,” she responded. Byleth took a step towards the tunnel and then hesitated, glancing at the door that hung open to the hallway. Should they wait for Dimitri to return? He said he would come right back.

“What are you waiting for?” Felix’s stern tone startled her back into action. “We have to go before they get away.”

Byleth nodded in agreement and ducked down to enter the passageway. She pressed her hand against the cool stone wall for balance as she took several steps down the narrow staircase. The students followed in single file, blocking out nearly all the light that came through the window in the room behind. She squinted, waiting for her eyes to adjust.

A light flared up behind Byleth as Annette conjured a ball of fire in her hand. Shadows stretched down the stairwell until they melted into the darkness.

“Put it out!” Felix hissed. “They’ll see us coming, you idiot!”

“Sorry!” Annette’s squeak echoed around them as the flame flickered out abruptly.

The ceiling rose as they descended, although Dedue was still forced to hunch over to avoid hitting his head. Byleth’s fingertips registered the walls change from stone blocks to rough-hewn rock. The only sound was an occasional trickle or drip of water; if there had been hoof beats, the horse must have stilled. An uncomfortable tension crept up Byleth’s spine and her neck began to itch.

Suddenly, a rusty shriek came from below, echoing up the staircase and disturbing the stale air. It was followed by a dull thump that caused little flecks of damp earth to rain down into Byleth’s hair. She increased her pace, anxious from the knowledge that there was indeed someone below.

They came to nearly-level ground several hundred feet beneath the monastery. The walls receded at the base of the stairway, making the passage just wide enough for two men to stand comfortably abreast. Up ahead, torchlight crackled and danced from around a corner, reflecting off the stagnant water that pooled on the rocky floor. A soft groan filtered through the passageway.

Byleth drew the Sword of the Creator as quietly as possible. Motioning for her students to stay back, she crept towards the illuminated portion of the tunnel. A horse whickered and stamped its hooves as she drew nearer. She pressed her body tightly against the wall, preparing to sneak a look around the corner, when her breath caught in her throat.

“They are coming. Hurry up,” the distorted voice of the Death Knight commanded.

Byleth went rigid, eyes widening as a wave of panic dragged her back to her last encounter with the Death Knight. Back to the Holy Mausoleum, where she had watched him slice off Ashe’s head. Her gut wrenched as she recalled the sight of Ashe’s blood gurgling from his neck and spurting across the tiled floor. Her palms began to sweat, her hold on her sword beginning to slip as her father’s voice ran through her thoughts. _It’ll be tougher to sleep at night if you let one of your little pupils die_.

She looked back over her shoulder to reassure herself that Ashe was still with them. Her eyes scanned over her students, all present except Dimitri. They looked to her for direction.

Byleth took a deep breath. She would not allow any harm to come to them. Swallowing her fear, she reasserted her grip on the Sword of the Creator.

Pressing her body flush against the stone once more, Byleth turned her head ever so slightly in order to catch a glimpse of what lay around the corner. Shadow and flame streaked up the walls, revealing a cavern wider and taller than the tunnel where she currently stood. Along the side of the chamber that she could see were several alcoves enclosed with rusted iron bars. She noted a half dozen or so soldiers in red armor, some of them holding torches. Stalactites hung perilously from the ceiling.

Keys clinked together somewhere outside of her view, followed by another sharp clang.

Her inspection reached the center of the chamber where the ghastly armor of the Death Knight stood motionless near the far wall. In one hand was his accursed scythe. In the other he held the reins to a dark horse, on whose saddle was draped a small limp figure with distinctive mint-green hair.

Byleth winced as iron bars scraped along the stone floor.

The Death Knight’s burning eyes flicked to the passageway where she stood. She immediately pulled back, hoping she hadn’t been seen.

She looked back at her students and jerked her head towards the corner. They approached as a shuffling sound came from the area ahead, like someone was moving something heavy around. There was a human grunt and the horse’s tack jingled. “That’s it then,” a man’s voice said.

“Good.” The Death Knight’s breath rattled through his mask. “Let us go.”

With a final nod to her students, Byleth rolled around the corner. She held the Sword of the Creator in front of her, ready to swing as she charged towards the nearest enemy. 

The world seemed to spin as the soldier dropped his torch, raising his lance to block her strike. All around her, the clash of steel rebounded chaotically off the walls of the chamber. On her right she saw Sylvain and Ingrid engage with a pair of myrmidons. On her left, a brigand received an arrow to the thigh, sending him down to one knee, before he took a tough punch to the gut from Dedue.

A flaming sphere sent the soldier ahead flying and the stench of burning flesh infiltrated Byleth’s lungs. An arrow whistled towards her, grazing her cheek as she ducked out of the way. She prepared to cut down the archer that now stood before her, but Felix dashed past her and sliced through the enemy’s stomach before she could move.

The archer fell with a bloody squelch, revealing the Death Knight standing immobile at the other end of the chamber. The horse, now with two bodies draped across its back, pranced agitatedly beside him. Light spilled out of a passage in the far wall that she had not seen before. For some reason, the knight had not retreated with Flayn when the fighting began.

His corrupted voice seemed to cut through the storm of battle, condemning gaze striking fear into her heart. “It is you.”

Byleth stood petrified while the skirmish continued around her. Her vision began to narrow, darkening around the edges, and she felt like her heart had risen into her throat. A blurred shape sprinted forward, drawing the Death Knight’s attention and freeing her from his spell. She saw Felix’s sword clink harmlessly off the dark armor.

Dropping the horse’s reins, the Death Knight gripped his scythe with both hands and swung it towards Felix. The swordsman slipped nimbly out of range, but his right foot splashed into a slimy puddle and slid out from under him.

Unable to stop his backward momentum, Felix fell to the ground. He let out a pained shout as the elbow of his sword arm cracked against the stony floor and his weapon clattered away out of reach.

The Death Knight advanced towards Felix, who lay sprawled on the ground.

Panic welled up inside Byleth. She could not watch him murder another student, not again. She started forward to interfere, but her legs moved as though she was waist-deep in muck.

Torchlight glinted off the odd metal of the Death Knight’s scythe as he raised the blade. Then he let it fall, sinking deep into Felix’s shoulder. The force of the heavy swing shattered his collarbone and carved into his chest at a damning angle.

“No!” Her shout was drowned out by Felix’s howl of agony.

The Death Knight pulled his weapon back, lifting Felix’s body off the floor until it came loose with a sickening sucking noise. Crashing against the ground, Felix gasped for breath and convulsed as blood drained out of the wound in his torso.

The Death Knight turned his accusing eyes back to Byleth. She stared numbly at Felix’s body, his pale face locked in a grimacing death mask. How could she have let this happen?

Byleth closed her eyes and ignored the ringing in her ears as she reached for Sothis’ power. She focused her energy until her nerves were alight with sensation and a painful pressure built within her chest. Concentrating intently on the moment after Felix struck down the archer, she allowed the pressure in her chest to release. The rush of blessed magic swept across her skin as time rewound around her body.

Her eyes opened and there stood Felix, still very much alive. Byleth let out a shaking breath, then ran ahead, grabbing the scruff of Felix’s shirt and throwing him down behind her. He merely grunted as he hit the ground.

She took a defensive stance between her student and the Death Knight, who once more dropped the horse’s reins. This time however, he turned to retreat down the tunnel behind him, not willing to face her.

“Come back here and fight!” Felix challenged as he got to his feet behind Byleth. She held out her arm to bar him from pursuing the knight.

Glancing around, she quickly took inventory of her students. Ingrid skewered the last remaining enemy soldier as Annette leaned on Ashe’s shoulder, nursing a twisted ankle. Blood dripped from Dedue’s cheekbone where a blow must have broken the skin. Mercedes mended a gash in Sylvain’s arm. No lasting harm done, she hurried to grab the horse’s reins so that it would not wander after its master.

“He’s getting away,” Felix growled.

“Flayn is our top priority,” she reminded him with a stern look, passing the reins to him. She turned her attention to the two bodies draped over the horse, one with familiar green hair and one with red. Both were unconscious. She untied them since they had been fastened to the saddle so they would not fall off.

Dedue approached and easily hoisted the older redhead over his shoulder.

“We’d better get these girls to the infirmary,” Sylvain said, gently pulling Flayn off the horse and into his arms.

Byleth nodded, bending over to grab one of the torches that hadn’t been extinguished upon falling to the ground. She had begun to walk back towards the stairs when Mercedes called out to her.

“Professor, you’re hurt! Let me take care of that for you,” she said, proceeding to wave her hand over Byleth’s cheek. Her skin prickled as the split flesh knit back together.

The class filed back up the stairs, emerging from the tunnel just as Dimitri and Seteth burst into the room. A joyful cry fell from Seteth’s lips upon seeing his sister. “Flayn! Oh, Flayn! Thank the Goddess!” He nearly snatched her away from Sylvain.

Dimitri looked over the rest of the class and let out a relieved breath. “It seems as though everyone is unharmed,” he said.

Byleth nodded.

“There’s a horse-” Annette panted, out of breath from all the stairs. “And a lot of bodies-” Another breath. “Down there.”

“Ashe, fetch the knights,” Byleth commanded. “We may still be able to catch him.”

Ashe acknowledged the order and slipped out of the room.

Dimitri narrowed his eyes. “Catch who?”

“The Death Knight. He got away,” Felix admitted bitterly.

Seteth cradled Flayn close to his chest. “Please have someone stand guard here until the knights arrive. I must take her to the infirmary at once, or else I would investigate myself.” He shot a disapproving glare at Sylvain as he carried his sister out of the room.

“I will follow,” Dedue said, repositioning the redheaded girl now that he was able to stand up straight again.

Dimitri did a double-take as Dedue carried the second girl away. “Who was that?”

Byleth shrugged and scratched her neck.

“Regardless, I am sorry it took me so long to return,” Dimitri said, turning to address the whole group. “Please, allow me to make it up to you. I would be happy to stand guard. You all look exhausted.”

“If you’re offering,” Sylvain said, clapping the prince on the shoulder as he strode out of the room. He was followed by a brooding Felix.

“Your Highness.” Ingrid gave a slight bow before taking her leave as well.

“Hey Annie, let’s go check on Professor Manuela,” Mercedes suggested.

“Ok! We should make some get-well sweets for her and Flayn, but…” Annette yawned, covering her mouth. “Maybe tomorrow. I’m worn out,” she said. “Bye Professor. See you later, Dimitri.” She gave them each a wave as she left the room with Mercedes.

Byleth stayed behind, eyes closing and body sagging against a dresser as the adrenaline left her system. Nausea sat heavy in her stomach as visions of Felix’s gruesome death replayed behind her eyelids. She shivered despite the heat of the late afternoon sun that filtered into the room.

“Professor, are you alright?” Dimitri asked, concerned.

She looked up as his eyes scanned over her form, searching for injuries. Relief tugged the corners of her lips upward. It was ok. All of her students were safe.

Dimitri seemed to relax at the sight of her smile. He stepped towards her over a small pile of books on the floor. “You have a little…” he trailed off, licking the soft fabric pad of his gauntleted thumb. He reached out to rub gently at the blood that had dried on her cheek.

Byleth found her gaze drawn to his eyes as he concentrated on her cheek. They were so blue. Had she never noticed before? She suddenly felt warm and the inside of her wrists started to prickle uncomfortably.

Dimitri stepped back without warning, breaking her trance. “I apologize, Professor,” he said. His face was tinged pink. “I don’t know what came over me, I just moved without thinking.” He shook his head and crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall opposite her.

The skin he had touched seemed to tingle. Byleth ran her fingers over her cheek and felt that it was now clean. “It’s ok,” she said. She reassured him with another smile, a larger one than before.

He looked away quickly, his cheeks still flushed. “Why don’t you go get some rest, Professor?” he said, voice tight with embarrassment. “I’ll stand guard until the knights arrive.”

Byleth took a quick glance down the stairs into the darkness, stomach suddenly churning with anxiety. “No, I’ll stay,” she said.

Dimitri’s forehead crinkled in confusion as he looked up at her. “Professor, I think I can handle guarding a hole in the wall all on my own.”

Her eyes were drawn back to the mouth of the cave. The thought of leaving Dimitri alone within reach of the Death Knight made fear climb up her throat. What if she wasn’t here to prevent another catastrophe? “I won’t leave you,” she said, looking Dimitri in the eyes.

He startled, eyebrows raised and mouth slightly open, and then his expression went carefully blank. “Hm, very well.” He pushed off the wall and turned away from her to watch for enemies on the stairs.

Byleth sighed and pushed herself up to sit on top of the dresser. Body heavy with exhaustion, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall.

Several quiet minutes passed before Byleth was roused by the metallic clatter of approaching knights. Ashe and Alois ran into the room, while a dozen more knights stood in the cramped hallway.

“Son, this is a bedroom, not a cave,” Alois said to Ashe.

Ashe pointed at the gaping hole in the wall.

“Woah! Where did that come from?” Alois looked around the room, seeming to notice Dimitri and Byleth for the first time as well. “Alright Professor, we’ll take it from here,” he said.

She nodded and slid off the dresser.

“Let’s go,” Alois said, motioning for the knights to follow him.

Dimitri moved aside so they could descend the staircase, turning to look Byleth over once more. “Won’t you please get some rest, Professor? We’ll wait here for their report.” He glanced towards Ashe, who nodded in confirmation.

Byleth studied her students for a moment, lips pressed together with indecision. She supposed having a dozen fully-trained soldiers between them and the Death Knight would have to do. She sighed in resignation. “Okay. Thank you,” she said, heading out of the room.

“Sure thing, Professor,” Ashe said as he hopped up to take her seat on the dresser.

Dimitri nodded silently, turning back to stare down the narrow pathway into the darkness below.

* * *

When dawn came the next day, Byleth was more exhausted than when she had lain down the night before. Ashe’s glassy eyes and Felix’s ruined torso had haunted her dreams. Every time the scenes replayed, she woke up with tears in her eyes and a pain in her chest.

Byleth was no stranger to witnessing death, but she had never reacted like this when she was a mercenary. Previously, whenever she stepped onto the battlefield, she knew that the only person she was responsible for was herself. She had no control over anything but her own actions, and the situation demanded that she kill or be killed.

It was different now that others followed her orders. Now, she was responsible for not only her own life, but also the lives of the people who fought for her. She felt immense guilt that her actions, her decisions, had gotten not one but two of her students killed.

She had to remind herself that that reality had not come to pass. Yet, even though she had undone those awful events, they had still occurred in some form or another. She remembered them vividly.

Byleth shook her head, dismissing her thoughts as she rose from the bed. She was unaccustomed to feeling much in general, and certainly never emotions as painful as these.

Goosebumps rose on her skin as she dressed in the cool morning of the new Wyvern Moon. She left her collar and vambraces in her wardrobe; her neck and wrists had recently become so tender that she could barely stand to wear them.

She felt as though lately her other senses had grown oddly sharper as well. It seemed to come and go, but her newfound sensitivity had proven to be quite distracting on occasion. She had begun to take notice of things that would never have attracted her attention before. Things like how some of the men wore cologne that would linger in the room even after they’d left. Or sometimes a student’s voice seemed to stand out to her so she could hear their words clearly despite being all the way across the courtyard.

She thought perhaps this might be a side effect of harnessing Sothis’ power. After all, it had only started after Ashe had died, and that was the first occasion she had turned back time on her own. She would have to ask Sothis if the two might be related.

If the girl ever woke up again, that is. Byleth realized she hadn’t heard her voice in several moons.

Concern over Sothis’ absence furrowed her brow as she stepped into the Blue Lions’ classroom. Although there was still a bit of time before class was scheduled to begin, Dimitri, Dedue, and Ashe were already inside. They sat with their backs to her, conversing together at one of the tables. A gentle light, dimmed by thin clouds, emanated from the window behind her desk.

Dimitri was the first to notice her presence. He turned to face her, draping his elbow over the back of the chair. “Good morning, Professor. Have you heard the results of yesterday’s investigation?” he asked her.

Byleth shook her head, making her way up to the front of the classroom. “What happened?”

“The knights went to explore the cavern, but-” Dimitri was cut off by an excited Ashe.

“By the time they got down there, there was nothing left! Can you believe it, Professor?” Ashe said.

“Believe what?” Sylvain asked as he sauntered through the doors, followed closely by Annette.

Byleth set her things on her desk, then turned back around to face her students. She leaned her hip against the edge of the desk and crossed her arms casually, wincing as her exposed wrists hit the cool metal of her breastplate.

“The horse and the bodies were gone,” Dedue confirmed.

Annette stopped in her tracks, holding her spellbooks tightly in her arms. “Wait, really?! You mean like they just disappeared?”

“It seems to be so,” Dimitri said as Ingrid and Mercedes slipped into the room. “But most importantly, Flayn, Monica, and Professor Manuela are expected to make a full recovery.”

“Monica, huh? Cute name,” Sylvain said, dropping into a seat on the other side of the classroom.

Ingrid rolled her eyes as she pulled out the chair next to him. “Ugh, don’t start.”

“Apparently that cave system is quite extensive,” Dimitri continued, ignoring Sylvain. “The tunnel we found goes all the way out to the side of the mountain. That said, it seems it is quite a steep climb to reach it from the valley.”

Ashe held his chin in his hand thoughtfully. “But then… how did that horse get in there?”

“Maybe he was teleported,” Mercedes suggested.

Sylvain looked at the healer and raised one eyebrow in disbelief. “Who would teleport a horse into a cave you can’t even ride out of?”

“If the Death Knight needed to carry Flayn out of the tunnel, why didn’t he just use a pegasus?” Ingrid wondered aloud.

“Hmm…” Annette pondered the question for a moment. “I don’t think a pegasus would really fit with the look he was going for,” she said very seriously.

Byleth was unable to contain a snort of laughter. As lethal as he was, the thought of the Death Knight riding a pegasus was too ridiculous. Perhaps she was just that exhausted. She bent double as giggles rose from her lungs like champagne bubbles.

The students gaped at her in shock. Their stoic professor was practically giddy. Byleth’s laughter proved contagious as the rest of the class began to chuckle at the mental image as well. Annette went beet red and hid her face in her hands.

Their laughter came to an abrupt end as Felix kicked the classroom door open with a bang, drawing everyone’s attention. He glared at them all as he yanked out a chair in the back row, taking a seat and putting his feet up on the table.

Byleth smiled at him despite his attitude. She was relieved to see him whole and healthy after watching him die repeatedly in her dreams. “Glad you could join us today, Felix,” she said. All her charges present, Byleth turned to the chalkboard to start the day’s class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next in Chapter 2: Dimitri's POV and lots of pining


	3. Chapter 2

The professor’s smile was downright mesmerizing.

Dimitri sighed as he gazed at her from across the dining hall, absolutely entranced. He didn’t know if anyone else noticed, but he had watched her smiles grow larger and more frequent over the last several moons. Every time he saw one, he felt a little bit lighter inside; like the upward curve of her lips somehow eased the burdens that lay heavy on his soul.

He wanted to make her smile more.

“…Your Highness?” Dedue’s voice interrupted his reverie.

Dimitri blinked, realizing he had been staring at the professor. The background buzz of the dining hall registered in his ears as he tore his eyes away to look at his companion instead. “My apologies, Dedue. Did you say something?”

“I merely asked if the food was not to your liking.”

“Oh.” Dimitri looked down saw that he held his fork suspended in midair. “It’s fine,” he said, resolving to keep his attention on his lunch. He took a bite but the food was terribly bland in his mouth.

“Shall I fetch you something else?”

Dimitri swallowed and shook his head, not wanting to be any trouble. He liked when the cooks made dishes that had a lot of cheese or spices, as he could sometimes taste those things a little bit, but today it was just fish and turnips. “No. Thank you, Dedue,” he said while preparing another bite of his meal.

Dimitri raised his fork, but the professor’s laughter drew his eyes before the food made it to his mouth.

Once upon a time he had been uncertain whether she could even experience joy. He was so grateful that she had grown comfortable enough around him and the rest of the Blue Lions to let her emotions show. He smiled, remembering when she had burst into adorable giggles before class last week. The lighthearted sound had bounced through his head for-

Dimitri grunted as someone bumped into his back, causing the food to fall off his fork and down to his plate. He sighed, disappointed in himself for getting distracted yet again.

A minty smell reached his nose as Sylvain took a seat on his left. “See something you like, Your Highness?” Sylvain asked, looking pointedly towards where Professor Byleth sat with Mercedes and Flayn.

Dimitri felt his face heat up as he blushed. Curse his fair skin. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said.

Sylvain shrugged. “If you say so,” he said, taking a bite of fish.

Dimitri began to eat faster. He was inclined to get out of range of Sylvain’s teasing sooner rather than later.

“Just do yourself a favor and don’t try making any moves on Flayn,” Sylvain advised.

“Hm?” Dimitri was caught with his mouth full.

Sylvain pinched his nose and did a bad imitation of Seteth’s voice as he said, “_If you ever put your hands on her again, I will personally see you removed from the Officer’s Academy. You will not corrupt her with your impure thoughts!”_

Sylvain scoffed as he pushed his vegetables around on his plate. In his normal voice he said, “Put my hands on her… I fucking rescued her is what I did!”

“Language,” Dedue scolded.

Meanwhile, Dimitri forced several forkfuls of food in his mouth. He was determined to finish his lunch before Sylvain could say anything else to embarrass him.

Sylvain sighed and speared a piece of turnip on his fork. “But you might have a chance if it’s Mercedes or the professor you’re pining after,” he said, watching Dimitri out of the corner of his eye.

Dimitri choked on what he had been trying to swallow. He coughed while Dedue patted him on the back to help clear his throat.

Sylvain grinned like the cat that got the canary. “So Your Highness, which one is it? Come now, there’s no need to hide it,” he coaxed. “There’s nothing wrong with being attracted to an older woman. In fact, just the other day I met a lovely-”

Dimitri took a deep breath. “I am not attracted to Professor Byleth!” he said, much louder than he intended to. “…or Mercedes!” he added as an afterthought. His cheeks burned as he looked around to see if anyone had overheard what he said.

Sylvain’s grin softened to a smirk. “Well, you could always come to your old pal for advice if you were,” he said while gesturing to himself. “You could stand to take a few tips from an Alpha that has some experience under his belt, if you know what I mean.” He winked suggestively.

Feeling flustered, Dimitri stood up abruptly, rattling the dishes on the table. “Sylvain, you are the very last person I would take advice from. Excuse me,” he said, turning to leave.

“Just don’t go giving her any daggers, alright?” Sylvain called out to his back.

Dimitri clenched his fists as he stalked out of the dining hall alone.

He gave a heavy sigh and collapsed onto one of the benches in the garden. The midday sun shone warm upon his face as he tried to calm himself. So maybe he was attracted to the professor. He couldn’t help it. She was just so…

Capable.

Beautiful.

Lovable.

He groaned as he leaned forward and pressed his face into his hands. It was getting harder and harder to deny it to himself. Thinking about her all the time was just making things worse, but he couldn’t seem to stop. He knew better than to hope that anything would ever happen between them.

For one thing, she was a professor and he was a student. For another, he was an Alpha and she was a Beta. It wouldn’t be an issue if he was a commoner, but soon, within a year or two of becoming king, he would be expected to take an Omega wife. Damn his royal blood. He supposed he was lucky Uncle Rufus was too busy with his own women to have a marriage already arranged for him.

Dimitri leaned back to rest his head against the dense shrubbery and breathed in the cool autumn air to clear his thoughts. Even with his eyes closed, he could tell when Hilda walked past him. The sweet and tangy scent of primroses followed her around wherever she went.

He had only ever been around Omegas that were taking suppressants, but his sensitive Alpha nose could still identify them. Mercedes gave off an aroma of herbal chrysanthemums. Ingrid smelled like fresh rosemary. He had not detected any unique scent from the professor in the time he’d been mooning over her, which clearly indicated that she was a Beta.

Dimitri wondered what she would smell like if she was an Omega.

Shame crept into his heart as he remembered what he did when they were alone in Jeritza’s room last week. He hadn’t meant to mark her cheek with his scent, but now he couldn’t get it out of his head. The idea of her smelling like him… It did things to him. He felt his cock twinge in his trousers.

He was spared from following that train of thought in public when he overheard Mercedes’ voice. “Did you get enough to eat, Flayn?”

“Yes, I am quite full,” Flayn replied cordially.

“Are you sure?” The professor’s voice drifted into his ears. “You had a lot left on your plate. I thought you liked fish.”

Opening his eyes, Dimitri saw Mercedes, Flayn, and Professor Byleth leaving the dining hall. It looked like they were walking his way.

“Oh, I do! However, grilled herring for six days in a row is a bit much, even for me.” Flayn let out an irritated sigh. “I cannot believe my brother organized a fishing tournament for my benefit without even asking me first.”

Mercedes giggled and said, “I think he was just so happy you were ok!” Her herbal scent perfumed the air as they drew nearer.

Dimitri stood up to greet them. “Hello Professor, Mercedes, Flayn.”

“Oh, hello Dimitri,” Mercedes responded as the other two ladies nodded in acknowledgement.

“It is good to see you back on your feet,” Dimitri said, turning to address Flayn. “I am relieved you were able to recover from your ordeal so quickly.”

“Yes, the monks who revived me said I was in shockingly good health,” she said. “Especially for someone who had been held captive for so long.”

The professor rested her hand on Flayn’s shoulder. “I was just getting to know Flayn a little better since she’ll be joining our class starting this week.”

“Oh?” Dimitri hadn’t yet heard that news. “In that case, please allow me to welcome you to the Blue Lion house,” he said, giving her a slight bow.

“Thank you Dimitri.” She returned his bow with a curtsey. “I am ever so excited to acquire new skills! Do you promise you will meet me at the archery range later, Professor?”

His heart skipped a beat as the professor nodded with an indulgent smile on her face.

Goddess above, he loved it when she smiled. He wanted to spend more time with her just so that he would never miss a chance to witness it.

Mercedes fidgeted from one foot to the other. “Well, Flayn and I should be on our way or else we’ll be late for choir practice. See you later Professor, Dimitri,” she said as they walked on past him.

Realizing he was now alone with the professor, Dimitri panicked. “May I have a moment of your time, Professor?” He had no idea what he was going to talk to her about, only that he didn’t want her to leave him just yet.

“Sure. What’s on your mind?” she asked.

“Um…” Dimitri racked his brain for a suitable topic of conversation. “The Battle of the Eagle and Lion will soon be upon us,” he said. “I was wondering how you thought it best to prepare.” He mentally kicked himself. How eloquent he was, to default to discussing coursework rather than something more interesting.

“I was just on my way to the library to do some research, actually,” the professor said. “I wanted to see if I could find a map that showed the terrain of the battlefield. Would you care to join me?”

Dimitri nodded enthusiastically. “I would be delighted to assist you. Certainly two can strategize more effectively than one,” he said as he fell into step alongside her.

The library exhaled the musty scent of books when Dimitri opened the door. “I believe most of the volumes on geography are in this section over here,” he said, heading towards one of the bookcases.

Dimitri looked down at the professor out of the corner of his eye as she stepped up beside him. The top of her brilliant head only came up to his nose. She seemed so small when he was this close to her. He wished he could wrap his arm around her waist and-

Slamming the door on that thought, he refocused his attention forward to browse the titles in the dim candlelight. _A Geographical Survey of Eastern Fodlan _caught his eye. It must have looked promising to the professor as well, because their fingers brushed together when he reached up to grab it. Surprised, he pulled his hand back sharply.

The thick book fell off the shelf, hitting the professor in the face on the way down.

“Oh, Professor! I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” Instinct moved him to cradle her face in his hands in order to check for injuries, but she stepped back before his touch could reach her, rubbing at the bridge of her nose.

“I’m fine, Dimitri.” Her voice seemed tense.

Dimitri sighed as he bent down to pick the book up off the floor. He was sure she would never forgive his blunder. The least he could do now was try to stay out of her way. “If you would like to take a look at this one, I’ll see if I can find anything else that might be of use,” he said, handing the book to her.

The professor nodded and took the book over to one of the tables, sitting down and beginning to flip through it. Dimitri joined her several minutes later, carrying a whole stack of books.

“Going to throw those at me too?” she asked.

Dimitri felt his cheeks redden in embarrassment as he set the books on the table. “Please accept my sincerest apologies, I-” he began, but he stopped when he noticed the small smirk on her face. “Professor, are you poking fun at me?”

Her smirk grew into a full smile as she continued to flip through her book.

How delightfully mischievous she was! Relieved that the professor was not actually upset with him, he chuckled as he settled into the seat opposite her and pulled one of the books in front of him.

They browsed together in silence until the professor pushed her open book across the table. She pointed at a map that spanned across both pages, titled _Gronder Field_. “Here it is. What do you think?” she asked him, leaning forward to rest her chin in her hand.

“Hmm.” Dimitri looked over the map, drumming his knuckles on the table as he thought. “Open field… a steep cliff on the north edge… and a bit of forest in the east. Whoever holds this hill in the center has a definite advantage,” he said, tapping at it with his finger.

He looked up to see the professor beaming at him. The sight made his stomach flop over. He had made her smile like that. His vision seemed to narrow until she was the only thing he could focus on. She looked so lovely in the soft candlelight. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her. He wet his lips and swallowed heavily. To feel the press of her-

There was a sharp screech of chair legs as the professor suddenly scooted out from the table. “That was great Dimitri, excellent observation, but umm...” She stood up hastily. “I just remembered I need to go do something so let’s talk about this later ok? Bye,” she said, heading out the door.

Shocked, he blinked around the now-empty library. What just happened? He put his fingertips to his lips. He hadn’t actually been about to kiss her, had he? Upset with himself for somehow scaring her off, he groaned and allowed his forehead to fall onto the map of Gronder Field in defeat.

Dimitri noticed that incidents similar to what happened in the library continued to occur over the next several days. The professor didn’t exactly avoid him per se, she just seemed… nervous. Skittish.

It seemed like every time he so much as thought about kissing her, she would run off all of a sudden. He would freely admit to himself that he did not always have control of his thoughts, but, aside from dropping a book on her face, he couldn’t think of anything he had done to make her uncomfortable around him. Surely she could not read his mind.

Could she?

No, even a woman as talented and amazing as she was could not do such a thing.

* * *

Byleth felt terribly guilty about reading Dimitri’s mind.

Well, it wasn’t exactly mind reading, but it felt like that sometimes. She could see his confusion whenever she acted like she knew what he was about to do.

Which was because she did know what he was about to do.

She knew because he had already done it once.

Alone in her room, Byleth blushed at the memory of kissing Dimitri in the library. The soft pressure of his lips on hers had made everything else around her seem to grind to a halt. She was not unfamiliar with kissing, but none of the other times had ever made her feel like that. For a moment she had been unable to react.

She almost allowed herself to kiss him back, but then she recalled with horror that she was his professor. She had panicked and used Sothis’ power, perhaps irresponsibly, to undo it. But was it really so irresponsible to avoid getting into a relationship with a student?

Byleth didn’t know how to feel about it. She genuinely liked Dimitri. He was incredibly sweet and he made her smile more often than anyone else she knew. And he was certainly handsome. But not only was he her student, he was a future king! She was just your average ex-mercenary turned professor with the power to turn back time.

She couldn’t remember ever having such confusing feelings in her entire life.

It didn’t help that she had to keep using Sothis’ power to avoid getting into trouble. Dimitri seemed to always be reaching out to touch her. Just little touches, on her hand or shoulder, but they were enough to send butterflies to her stomach.

Worse, he kept trying to kiss her. In the garden at teatime, on the bridge to the cathedral, even once at the training grounds after they finished sparring. He seemed drawn to her like a moth to a flame, and she couldn’t help but enjoy the burn.

Every time their lips met, she melted into him. Every time, it got harder to remember why she had to stop it from happening.

It broke her heart to see the look in his eyes when she ran away, like he thought he had done something wrong and she wanted nothing to do with him. In reality, she wanted nothing more than to kiss him again and again. She had become addicted to the heady warmth that came with it. If she didn’t get so exhausted after using Sothis’ power, she might try to experience the same kiss over and over again. She had to quickly excuse herself whenever she knew he was about to kiss her, or else she would let him.

Despite this development, Byleth tried her best to carry on teaching as usual. But the incident after class that morning was of a different sort altogether.

Dimitri came up to her desk to ask about an assignment she had given and they discussed it as they walked out of the classroom together. “Ah, I see. I think I understand now,” he said, holding the door open for her as she passed by. “By the way Professor, is that a new perfume? It’s absolutely divine.”

Confused, Byleth stopped and turned to look at him. She wasn’t wearing any perfume. He wet his lips, drawing her attention to his mouth. She braced herself for another bittersweet kiss as he leaned in towards her.

But instead of pressing his lips to hers, Dimitri tilted his head to sniff delicately at her neck. She stood stock still, unsure what was happening.

And then he licked her.

Byleth moaned loudly, knees going weak as a shiver ran up her spine. She reached out to grab onto his forearms to prevent herself from falling to the ground. Blinking, she looked up at him from where he had pulled her against his chest as she collapsed. She blushed heavily as he stared at her with wide eyes.

She embraced Sothis’ power.

“Ah, I see. I think I understand now,” he said, holding the door open for her as she passed by. “By the way Professor, is that a new perfume? It’s absolutely divine.”

“Yes, it is,” Byleth lied, quickly walking several paces past where he stood. “Um, thank you. I’ve, uh, got to go,” she said. She hurried away without turning back.

Darting into her room, Byleth closed her eyes and pressed her back against the door as soon as it was shut. What in the world just happened?

She touched her neck where Dimitri had flicked his tongue against it, wincing when it hurt like it was bruised. She brought her fingers to her nose and sniffed. Why did he think she was wearing perfume? She couldn’t smell anything.

Thoroughly confused, she sighed as she fell back onto her bed. She would have to do something about this sooner or later, she thought. It seemed his advances wouldn’t stop on their own and she couldn’t keep running away like this. She resolved to speak to him about it once they returned from Gronder Field, after the Battle of the Eagle and Lion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next in Chapter 3: They go on a motherfucking camping trip because you can’t just get to the other side of an impassable mountain range overnight.


	4. Chapter 3

The treetops rustled in the wind, revealing the reddish-pink glow of sunset as the Blue Lions marched toward Gronder Field. Their journey had been blessed with clear skies so far, but it had taken them four days to reach the Airmid River. They would not arrive at their destination until late tomorrow.

Byleth walked at the back of the pack, keeping an eye on her students as they chatted with each other.

“Remind me again, why do we have to walk so far for a mock battle?” Annette whined.

“It’s tradition!” Dimitri responded. “The Battle of the Eagle and Lion is always held at Gronder Field.”

“I don’t get it,” Sylvain said, leading his mount by the reins. Their tent poles and rations were packed on the horse’s back. “Wasn’t the original battleground in the Kingdom?”

“Well yes,” Dimitri admitted. “It was the battle that won the Kingdom its independence from the Empire. It’s well-documented in several legends.”

“Oh, I love that part of _The Sword of Kyphon_!” Ashe said as he stepped over some tree roots.

Ingrid looked at him over the back of the pegasus that walked beside her. “When Loog and his loyal defender Kyphon ride into battle against the Empire’s armies?” she asked.

“Yes!” Ashe nodded. “We have to win this battle so we can live up to the legacy of the King of Lions!”

Byleth smiled, recalling the progress her students had made that moon. They had all grown stronger, but Flayn had surprised her by proving to be such a quick study with the bow. “I’m sure you all will do great,” she said.

“What do you mean, Professor?” Ashe asked, turning back to look at her. “Will you not be leading us into battle?”

Byleth shook her head. “Professor Manuela is still recovering, so Professor Hanneman decided he wouldn’t participate either. It’s only fair that I sit out as well.”

Ashe’s face fell. “Professor, you have to join us!”

“We won’t do half as well if you’re not leading us!” Annette said in alarm.

“Please, Professor!” Flayn begged. “I so wish to fight alongside you! This will be my first true battle, after all!”

Byleth weighed the choice of whether to play fair against disappointing her students. “I suppose I could still direct you from the back,” she compromised.

“Oh!” Ashe brightened up. “Like Pan, the Undesiring Strategist.”

“So if the professor is our Pan, and Dimitri is our Loog…” Annette tapped her finger against her lips thoughtfully. “Then who would be our Kyphon?” she asked.

“Kyphon was a Fraldarius, so naturally it would be Felix,” Ingrid said, gesturing towards him.

Felix did not look pleased. “Don’t talk about me like I’m some hero,” he said. “This isn’t some stupid reenactment.” 

“Perhaps they should change the name of this battle,” Dimitri suggested. “The true Battle of the Eagle and Lion is best left to the past, in my opinion. I have no wish to-”

He was interrupted by a chorus of harsh squawks as a flock of birds suddenly took flight from somewhere unseen.

“Probably just startled by one of the other houses,” Byleth said in explanation.

The three classes were traveling separately as part of an exercise meant to teach the students stealth and reconnaissance skills. Each house had been given a helmet-sized pumpkin to protect during their journey. They were supposed to try to steal the pumpkins from each other without using force. Whichever house had the most pumpkins when they arrived at Gronder Field would get to man the ballista at the start of the battle.

Flayn held their pumpkin close to her chest, both arms wrapped tightly around it. “We must not allow them to steal our pumpkin!” she said.

“Yes, the ballista will be a crucial asset in the coming battle,” Dimitri said, giving Flayn a nod. “But regardless of whether we win or lose, we will remember this experience for the rest of our lives.”

They marched on until sky overhead began to darken as twilight set upon them.

They found a small clearing that seemed secluded enough and began to make camp. Sylvain and Ingrid tethered their mounts to two nearby oak trees while Dedue and Dimitri pounded tent stakes into the ground. The rest of the class set to gathering firewood.

Soon the Blue Lions were seated around a crackling campfire while Annette distributed their rations. Byleth held her stale bread and salted meat in her hands and looked at them forlornly. She had grown used to the food at the dining hall. This was one part of mercenary life she definitely did not miss.

“You’ll choke if you don’t chew your food properly!” Mercedes’ voice cut through her thoughts.

Byleth looked up to see Sylvain gulp his dinner down in three quick bites, then chug from his water skin. He pulled away after a moment, gasping. “No need to worry about me, Mercedes. I can breathe out of my ears,” he said, giving her a salacious wink.

Dimitri yelled “Sylvain!” at the same time that Mercedes blushed and said “Oh my.” Flayn giggled as Ingrid elbowed the redhead in the gut.

Meanwhile, Byleth wondered if that was even possible. Her cheeks puffed out as she tried to exhale through her ears.

Sylvain coughed as he stood up and backed away from Ingrid’s pointy elbows. “Well, I can sense when I’m not wanted,” he said. “You ready to go after one of those pumpkins, Ashe?”

“Huh?” Ashe looked up with his mouth full of food. He swallowed and then said, “I told you Sylvain, I don’t want to steal anything. I’m not a thief anymore.”

“But we’re counting on you!” Sylvain stretched his arms behind his head. “We need your skills to give us the advantage in the battle! You said we had to win to live up to the King of Lions.”

Ashe sighed, admitting defeat. “Well okay, but I’m not done with my dinner yet.”

“I think you mean midnight snack,” Sylvain said as he pulled Ashe up by his arm and dragged him away from the campfire. “Let’s go.”

“Hey, wait- Sylvain!”

“Be back in a bit,” Sylvain said, pulling Ashe into the forest. The rest of the class stared after them until they vanished into the shadows.

Mercedes broke the silence. “Sylvain really wants to win, doesn’t he?”

“Just so he can brag to the girls about it,” Ingrid said. She had a sour look on her face as she used her teeth to tear off a hunk of bread.

Byleth scratched at her forearms while they finished up their supper. Her neck and wrists had been constantly itchy ever since the incident outside the classroom last week. She still didn’t understand what had happened that day, but Dimitri hadn’t tried to kiss her since they left the monastery, probably because the other students were always around. She was somehow both relieved and disappointed.

“Who wants first watch?” Byleth asked as she got up from the fire to lay out her bedroll.

They had decided to take turns guarding the pumpkin ever since Claude almost got away with it on the first night of the journey. He had crept into their camp while they all slept and nearly managed to slip it out of Felix’s tent. Thankfully Felix had woken up and put Claude in a chokehold.

“I will take the first shift,” Dedue offered.

Byleth nodded gratefully and crawled under her canvas tent, lying on her hands to keep herself from scratching at her raw skin. She quickly fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.

* * *

The clip clop of horse hooves echoed through the air around her. The darkness seemed to press against her skin as Byleth looked around for the source of the sound.

She felt a touch to her elbow and heard a voice say, “Professor…” Turning around, she saw Ashe clutching her sleeve and staring at her with eyes that were entirely white. “Professor, why did you do this to me?” A thin line of blood seeped from his neck as he spoke.

Byleth jerked away in horror, but Ashe didn’t release her jacket. His body collapsed against her, so she reached out to hold him up, both hands gripping his biceps. She watched, wanting to scream but unable to breathe, as his head rolled backward and fell off his neck.

Blood began to cascade down over his chest. It was spilling onto her, staining her, but she couldn’t let go. She had to save him somehow, had to-

Suddenly her hands were free and Felix was in front of her. His face was pale as death and a huge gash ran through his shoulder, carving into his torso. He glared at her with empty, accusing eyes. “How could you let this happen?” he asked her.

Byleth shook her head in denial. She tried to tell him that he was safe, that she had protected him, but her voice felt choked up and her chest hurt. Looking down, she saw her muscles tearing and tendons snapping as her shoulder and arm were ripped away from the rest of her body, creating a wound to match Felix’s.

She deserved this. It was her fault he was dead. She hadn’t rescued him after all. She should have-

* * *

Byleth gasped and sat up, patting a trembling hand across her shoulder to make sure it was still attached.

It was.

She took several deep breaths to calm herself. It was only a dream, but she could still feel that pain in her chest. After a few moments, she crawled out of her jostled tent to sit at the dwindling campfire with Dedue.

“You did not sleep for very long,” he said.

“Nightmare.” Byleth’s knee bounced anxiously as she surveyed the campsite. She was relieved to see that both Felix and Ashe were asleep in their own tents. “Looks like Ashe and Sylvain made it back,” she said to Dedue.

He nodded.

“Did they get a pumpkin?”

“They did not succeed.” Dedue motioned towards the ground where a single pumpkin sat between his feet.

“Oh.”

Byleth pulled her coat tighter around her and scooted closer to the fire, letting it warm and relax her tense body. She tried not to scratch as the students’ peaceful chorus of snores dispelled the lingering fear from her nightmare. Crickets chirped and an owl hooted somewhere nearby.

“It’s a nice night,” she said.

“Yes.”

The Man of Duscur never was much for conversation, Byleth thought. Thankfully neither was she. They sat together in comfortable silence for a few minutes.

Then Byleth heard a bush rustle. Instantly on alert, she noticed movement in the underbrush to her left. She shot Dedue a look that said he should stay with the pumpkin and got up to investigate.

Her eyes scanned the shadows as she stepped over to the edge of the clearing. Nothing moved out there, but a hint of yellow in a nearby shrub caught her eye. She pushed the foliage aside to reveal Claude, crouched down like he had been watching their camp.

“Damn it, Teach!” He slapped his hands on his knees and pushed himself up. “You caught me.”

“Awe, I even practiced my breathing!”

“Ah!” Byleth jumped and brought her hand to her chest as a second voice came from somewhere close by. She spun around to see Raphael standing behind a nearby tree. Where had he come from?

Claude put his hand against his forehead and groaned. “It almost worked! Raphael, you were supposed to _stay_ hidden while I drew their attention.”

“Oh. Guess I let the cat out of the bag,” Raphael said with a shrug and a smile.

Claude gave a heavy sigh. “Come on, let’s go try it on Edelgard,” he said, turning to go. “Goodnight, Teach.”

Byleth chuckled as they walked away. She had to give Claude credit for his creativity, but now they knew his latest scheme. She returned to the campfire, holding her hands out towards Dedue. “I’ll take over for a while so you can get some sleep,” she said.

He nodded as he rose and gave her the pumpkin, then bid her goodnight, entered his tent, and laid down on his bedroll.

Byleth now sat alone, holding the pumpkin in her lap and wrapping her arms around it. The vegetable’s cool skin felt good on her tender wrists. She heard Ingrid's pegasus ruffle its feathers as she looked up towards the underside of the forest canopy. There weren't many stars visible through the gaps in the leaves.

She shivered and threw another log on the fire. The burning wood crackled, sending tendrils of sweet-smelling smoke into the chilled air. She scooted closer to the warmth, eyes drooping as she began to nod off.

The snap of a twig made her jolt awake. Looking around for the source of the noise, she saw Sylvain’s horse stamping its feet. She scratched her neck and sighed as she turned back to stare into the fire. The scent of night-blooming honeysuckle reached her nose as she watched a moth flutter dangerously close to the flames.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Byleth thought she saw something move in the forest across from her. She tried to focus her vision on it, but a gust of wind sent campfire smoke into her face. Coughing, she waved the smoke away and looked back at the spot where she thought she had seen movement.

There was definitely something out there.

She stood to take a closer look but hesitated to set the pumpkin down. Claude might have said they would move on in order to get her to lower her guard. She would not give him a second chance at their pumpkin!

Byleth walked over to the edge of the clearing and peered into the darkness, holding the pumpkin tightly.

There was nothing but forest out there. No yellow cape, no students.

She was about to head back to the campfire once more when a putrid, bitter smell reached her nose. Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, she looked into the forest again.

A shape began to emerge from the shadows and she squinted to see it better. It was… huge, bigger than a horse, and… furry? A low growl rumbled in her ears. Tension skittered up her spine as she realized this was some sort of giant beast. "Up! Wake up!” she yelled as it lunged at her, revealing snarling teeth and milky-white eyes as it came into the firelight.

Byleth dropped the pumpkin and fell backwards into the camp to avoid being snapped up by the wolf’s humongous jaws. She cried out as its enormous paw slammed onto her outstretched legs, claws as big as axe blades caging her thighs and holding her in place. The beast loomed above her, rotten breath blowing into her face as she pulled the dagger from her belt. She tensed, waiting for the right moment to strike, as it brought its snout down slowly, sniffing at her curiously.

As soon as it was within reach, the tip of her blade sliced through its nose. The wolf snarled and pulled away from her, but one of its claws left a deep gash in her thigh. She winced in pain as she scrambled back further into the camp.

Suddenly Dimitri and Sylvain stood before her, hair tousled by sleep but lances at the ready.

Byleth glanced down to assess the damage to her leg; her tights were in ribbons and the gouge in her thigh was quickly pooling blood. She clasped her hands over the worst of it, shaking as she tried to staunch the bleeding.

She looked back up when Dimitri let out a battle cry, charging at the giant wolf with Sylvain only a step behind him. Dimitri raised his lance to strike, but the beast swiped at him with its massive paw and sent him flying over Byleth’s head. She heard him land with a crash and a thud.

Sylvain managed to duck under the beast’s claws and thrust his lance into the wolf’s chest as it reared back, preparing to slam down on him.

At that moment, one of Ashe’s arrows flew out from the camp and pierced the beast’s eye. It yelped in pain and was thrown off balance, allowing Sylvain to dodge its paws as they landed on the earth.

Dimitri was back on his feet and preparing to charge the stinking beast again, when suddenly the wolf shrank back and growled up at the sky. It ran off as the beat of powerful wings made the trees sway around them.

Byleth groaned in pain from her place on the ground, holding on to her leg.

“The professor’s hurt!” Dimitri shouted as a wyvern landed in the middle of the chaos.

“What’s going on?” Seteth yelled as he slid off the wyvern’s back. “What happened here?”

Then Mercedes was beside her. A comforting herbal scent permeated the air as she laid her hands on Byleth’s thigh and murmured the healing words that restored her flesh.

Byleth clenched her jaw as the magic made her leg go painfully numb, like it had fallen asleep. “The beast…” she hissed through her teeth.

“It was some kind of giant wolf,” Sylvain said, turning away from where he had watched it retreat into the forest. “It’s gone now.”

Seteth nodded. “Is everyone accounted for?” he asked, looking around.

With Mercedes’ help, Byleth stood and gingerly placed her weight on her healed leg. She did a quick headcount to make sure her students were safe.

Eight.

Fear took root in her gut and she counted again. Still eight. Where was-

“Flayn, where is Flayn?” Seteth’s voice was panicked.

“I am right here, Brother!”

Seteth sighed in relief as Flayn crawled out of her tent, yawning and rubbing her eyes. “How could you manage to sleep through that?” he said affectionately.

“Oh no!” Flayn’s eyes went wide as she looked in Byleth’s direction. “Our pumpkin!” she cried. Everyone followed her gaze to see the pumpkin splattered on the ground where Byleth had dropped it.

“I will bring you a replacement in the morning, Flayn,” Seteth assured her.

“Thank you, Brother.” She gave him a sweet smile.

“It is lucky you were camped so close to the baggage train,” he said to Byleth, all business once again. He turned to mount his wyvern. “I must check on the other houses. You had best post a guard, but do try to get some more rest. We have another long day of marching ahead of us tomorrow,” he said as he slid into the saddle. With a great flap of its wings, the wyvern rose above the canopy once more.

Byleth took a tentative step to test her leg as she surveyed the scene before her. The campsite was a disaster, but it looked like everything that had been damaged could be repaired. They would have to-

She flinched as something touched her shoulder. Tense and on-edge, she spun around to face the threat but it was just Dimitri. She closed her eyes and sighed in relief, getting a whiff of his cologne in the process.

“Are you alright, Professor?” he asked, hand still in the air by her shoulder.

Byleth checked herself over as she brushed the dirt off her clothes. She felt a little shaken up, but she seemed to be in one piece. “I think so,” she said. “How are you? It looked like you got…” Her mind went blank as she looked up at his face.

The unguarded, heartfelt concern in his eyes took her breath away.

Byleth wasn’t used to being worried over by anyone besides her father. As a mercenary, her reputation meant that people always assumed she could handle herself. Now, her students depended on her to keep them safe. It was her responsibility to be worried over them.

But here was Dimitri, concerned about her. Something about it made her smile.

Her eyes flicked to his lips as they curved upward to mirror hers. She wished he would kiss her, but knew that he wouldn’t because the other students were watching. Still, she longed for the intoxicating feeling that his touch induced. The scent of his cologne, rich and spicy like cloves, drew her towards him until they stood toe-to-toe. Maybe she could just…

Byleth pushed up onto the balls of her feet as she placed her hands on his chest and pressed her lips gently against his.

Dimitri went rigid when she kissed him but he softened after a moment, kissing her back and wrapping his arms around her. Her tension evaporated as he held her close, a wave of blissful relaxation washing over her as his warmth seeped into her body. Distantly, she heard what could have been Sylvain’s cheering.

Byleth pulled back and opened her eyes, breathless. Dimitri’s cheeks were pink as he looked down at her. She smiled at him sadly, knowing what she had to do next.

She felt a tug at her heart as she embraced Sothis’ power.

Dimitri laid his hand on her shoulder. “Are you alright, Professor?” he asked.

“Much better now,” Byleth said. She gave him a small smile, but turned away before she could repeat her indulgence. She sighed as she looked over the rest of the students and their disrupted campsite once more. “Well, let’s get this place picked up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next in Chapter 4: A romantic cliché and the Battle of the Eagle and Lion


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's an early update, in honor of Dimitri's birthday!

Dimitri woke with dewdrops glistening on his cape. His body was stiff and sore from sleeping on the ground for the fourth night in a row, doubly so after being thrown during the fight with the giant wolf. Thankfully Mercedes was able to relieve the ache in his muscles while they broke camp.

The morning was cool and foggy as they set out. The sun quickly burned away the worst of it, but the day did not warm much at all. Chilly breezes swept red and orange leaves around their feet as they marched on.

Flayn held their replacement pumpkin tighter than ever. Ashe and Sylvain reported that, as of last night, both the Deer and the Eagles still had their pumpkins as well. There was still hope that they would all start the battle tomorrow on equal footing.

That night, they camped atop the cliff that overlooked Gronder Field. Most of the Blue Lions opted to get to bed early, but Dimitri, Felix, Ashe, and Professor Byleth remained awake.

Dimitri sighed as he sat down by the fire to mend the rips in his tent canvas; the guy lines had torn through the corners when he landed on it during last night’s skirmish. He took a deep breath to steady himself and squinted in concentration as he tried to thread the needle.

The thread slipped through the tiny hole and he exhaled in relief. The first step was done.

He tied a knot in the end of the thread and began to push the needle through the fabric to make the first stitch. He could do this. He just had to be careful not to-

A sharp pain in his index finger made him jump and drop the canvas. He frowned as he realized he had pushed the needle too hard and stabbed himself.

“Would you like me to do that, Your Highness?” Ashe asked from his seat on a log to Dimitri’s right.

Dimitri shook his head. “No, thank you.”

He picked up the canvas and mentally prepared himself to try again. Very carefully, he attempted to slide the needle through once more. Success!

He pulled the needle away, but the thread snapped as he drew it taut. Dimitri let out an irritated huff. He must have pulled too hard.

Felix scoffed at him from across the campfire.

Deciding to ignore him, Dimitri plucked the broken thread out of the fabric and started over. Knot the thread. Slip the needle through. Pull it taut. This was going so well!

He twisted the needle around to push it back through the other way, but all of a sudden it bent in half. He groaned in frustration. Curse his unnatural strength.

“Are you sure?” Ashe asked again. “I’d be happy to-”

“It’s fine,” Dimitri responded, cutting him off. He could do it. He just had to start over one more time.

He took out a new needle and grabbed the scissors to cut another length of thread. There was a screech of twisting metal as he pulled the blades apart and his gut sank with a feeling of dread. He looked down to see the scissors hanging off his fingers in two pieces.

Damn it!

Dimitri threw the canvas to the ground and stalked off into the night.

He lowered himself to the damp grass a little ways from the edge of the cliff, sitting with his feet flat against the earth. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on bent knees, and grasped his head in his hands.

_You’re useless!  
Why have you not avenged us yet?_

The voices were back tonight. He clenched his eyes shut and pulled his hair painfully. Could they not just leave him be? He already knew what they were going to say.

_You can’t do anything right!  
You don’t deserve to live while we had to die._

Then Dimitri heard someone sit down beside him. He waited for them to say something, to tell him that he was worthless, that he was nothing but a brute, a beast, but they remained silent. Curious, he raised his head.

The professor sat next to him with her arms wrapped around her knees, gazing up at the night sky and exuding an aura of peace.

Dimitri realized she had seen how clumsy he was and had watched him stomp away like a child. He turned his reddened face back to the ground between his knees and silently wished that he didn’t have such prodigious strength. If only he wasn’t an Alpha or wasn’t a Blaiddyd. If only he wasn’t the crown prince of Faerghus…

Maybe in another life he would have had a chance to be with the professor.

Dimitri glanced at her again but she was still staring up at the stars. He quickly looked away, wishing she would leave him alone to be miserable instead of sitting there patiently waiting for him to say something.

After a few more moments of silence, he sighed and leaned back on his hands. “Professor, have you ever… wished you were someone else?” he asked, looking up at the crescent moon that hung in the sky.

“I can’t say I have,” she replied. “Have you?”

“I just wish…” Dimitri hesitated, unsure how much of his feelings he should reveal. Deciding to err on the side of caution, he said, “Between my crest and my designation, I sometimes have difficulty controlling my own strength. It’s humiliating.”

“Hmm.” She thought for a moment before speaking again. “Well, we all have things we’re not good at. But we keep practicing and we get better.”

Skeptical, he turned his head a little to see her from the corner of his eye. “Surely that doesn’t apply to you, Professor. I have yet to see you fail at anything.”

“I’m actually useless with a lance,” she admitted, still looking skyward.

He shook his head. “I don’t believe that at all.”

“It’s true.” A smile came over her face as she turned towards him. “My father tried to teach me when I was younger. He said I wobbled around like a newborn foal.”

Dimitri couldn’t help but chuckle at the mental image. “Now that is something I’d like to see,” he said.

“I’ll have to show you when we get back to the monastery.”

Finding his spirits had lifted, he smiled back at her. “I’ll hold you to that promise, Professor.”

They sat together quietly for a few minutes, then Dimitri saw her shiver and clutch at her coat as a cold breeze blew past them and down over the ledge. Shifting to his knees, he unpinned his cape from his breastplate and moved to drape it over her shoulders.

She nearly fell over when his hand brushed against her neck.

Dimitri drew back and lowered his eyes, ashamed of his presumptuous behavior. What was he thinking? Of course she didn’t want his cape. “I’m sorry, Professor. You looked chilled, and…”

He fell silent as she reached out to take the cape from his hands. “Thank you, Dimitri,” she said, pulling the fabric around her body.

The sight of her brought a small smile to his lips. She looked so cute all huddled up in his cape. Cute enough to-

He tore his eyes away before he could do something inadvisable, instead steering his thoughts toward the mock battle that would take place tomorrow. The fires of Fort Merceus flickered in the distance as he forced himself to contemplate what tactics they should employ and what Edelgard and Claude were likely to do.

“What did you mean earlier, when you said ‘my designation’?” the professor asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Hm? Oh, I’m uh...” He stalled, feeling very awkward talking about this with the professor, especially since he had feelings for her. “I’m an Alpha,” he said, speaking quickly to get it over with.

She looked at him blankly. “What does that mean?”

“Um…” Goddess, how was he supposed to explain this to her? “Alphas often have more physical strength than other men,” he said, trying to avoid talking about the embarrassing bits.

“So is it like another kind of crest?”

“Somewhat…” His heart began to pound as he realized what he was going to have to say to her. “Well, legend says that… that the Goddess made Alphas and Omegas… to um... procreate… with each other.”

“Oh,” she said calmly, looking back out over the field. “My father never really spoke to me about things like that. I had to learn about the beast with two backs from the mercenaries we hired.”

“The beast with two…” He turned his face away in embarrassment as he realized what she meant. Rodrigue had called it ‘the birds and the bees.’

“So, what’s an O-”

“Shit!” Felix’s shout came from the campsite behind them.

They both stood up quickly, his cape falling to the ground. Expecting another monster attack, Dimitri prepared to run back to fight, but then Petra’s wild laughter reached his ears.

“Bwahahahaha! I have robbed the vegetable!” she yelled into the night.

The professor sighed as she bent over to pick up his cape. “I guess the Eagles will have the ballista tomorrow,” she said, handing it back to him.

He nodded resignedly. “In that case, we ought to head back. We’ll need our rest.”

Soon Dimitri lay down to sleep under the stars, tent canvas still unrepaired. He scrunched up his cape to serve as a pillow and smiled sleepily when he realized it smelled like the honeysuckle perfume the professor had taken to wearing lately.

* * *

The day of the battle dawned bleak and misty as the three houses each took their assigned places on the fringes of Gronder Field. The Blue Lions were to approach from the north, separated from the ballista by a creek with a narrow bridge over it. Byleth stood toward the back of the class, resolved to only give direction if she felt her students required guidance.

“The Battle of the Eagle and Lion is set to begin at long last,” Dimitri said as he paraded in front of his classmates. “We have spent the last half-year training for this moment. It is time to show them what we can do!” He swished a wooden practice lance through the air. “Prepare yourselves. We will not go easy on them today!”

The atmosphere was thick with anticipation as Dimitri took his place in their formation. Sylvain’s horse pranced about excitedly and the students tightened their grip on their weapons. Suddenly, the blare of a bugle pierced the chilled air.

“For honor!”

At Dimitri’s signal, the Blue Lions rushed forward, footsteps pounding through the morning dew.

Byleth watched Dedue run up to blockade the bridge, easily withstanding Ferdinand’s mounted charge. The noble dodged Dedue’s counterattack and began to canter away. His horse bucked when Flayn’s blunted arrow bounced off its flank, but he stayed in the saddle.

Meanwhile, Ingrid flew over the creek and swooped down on Ignatz before he could draw his bow. Her lance collided with his ribs, knocking him down and out of the battle. He dropped his weapon on the ground as he got to his feet and began walking back to the cliff from which Seteth was observing.

Mercedes winced as a wooden bolt bruised her shoulder. Eyes drawn to the ballista, Byleth saw Hilda charge up the central hill and swing her dulled axe into Bernadetta’s stomach. The archer screamed as she rolled down the stairs.

At the same time, Sylvain sent his horse thundering across the bridge after Ferdinand, lance lowered in a jousting position.

“Sylvain, stay close!” Byleth called out as Felix and Dimitri followed him across the bridge. Byleth and the rest of the Lions crossed over the creek as well.

Lorenz was suddenly upon them, but he was quickly on the ground, courtesy of Dimitri’s lance between his horse’s legs.

Annette cleared the bridge last and raised her hands to cast a spell at Hilda, but a fireball from the other side of the hill knocked the pink-haired girl off the platform and away from the ballista.

Ashe ran ahead to seize control of the unmanned siege weapon. He pulled the lever to load another bolt as Petra came up the hill from the west.

“You will not be taking the advantage!” she yelled as she used her sword to deflect the bolt Ashe fired at her. She spun around to make another strike that wiped Ashe’s legs out from under him.

Felix engaged the princess of Brigid in a fierce duel of clacking wood while Dedue charged forward to meet Dorothea on the far side of the ballista, Dimitri close on his heels.

Ingrid flew further out into the battlefield, but was unseated by the combination of Claude’s arrows and a well-timed gust of wind from Marianne. The scream of a wounded horse and the thud of a fallen rider came from the direction Sylvain had ridden.

Byleth ran up the central hill to get a better view of the battle. She saw Hubert knock Raphael down and watched Lysithea blast Caspar onto his rear. No more students approached from the east or west.

“Flayn, the ballista!” she called out. Now that they had a clear hold on it, they just had to defend.

“Got it, Professor!” Flayn stepped around the dueling sword-fighters to reload the ballista with a pull of the lever. She launched a blunt bolt that hit Leonie on the leg as she urged her horse up the south side of the hill.

Annette cast a spell that swept Petra off her feet as Byleth took a position to the west of the ballista. Panting and out of breath, Felix, Annette, and Mercedes ran past her to assist Dimitri, who was holding his own against both Dorothea and Leonie now that Dedue was on the ground.

“Professor, watch out!” Flayn yelled.

Byleth turned to see Monica charging up the west side of the hill. The redhead had a murderous look in her eye and wielded a steel dagger, rather than a practice weapon. Byleth drew her wooden sword for the first time that battle and prepared to counter Monica’s strike.

The ballista twanged as a bolt was fired. Suddenly Byleth felt a shooting pain in her back and was jolted forward, going down to her knees. Wind knocked out of her and caught off guard, she could not deflect Monica’s dagger, which sank deep into her chest.

On the other side of the hill, the battle continued to rage, the students oblivious to what was happening behind them.

A burning ache centered in Byleth’s torso. She lifted a shaking hand and felt wet blood seep around a steel bolt head that stuck out between her ribs. Her forehead crinkled in confusion. There weren’t supposed to be any real weapons in this battle...

She tried to turn around to see Flayn, but her body fell against the wooden steps of the platform. She lay there feeling lightheaded as Monica looked down at her with glee in her eyes.

Byleth's vision began to blur as she touched her fingers to the hilt of the dagger. She knew it was there, but she couldn't feel anything, her fingers clumsy and numb. Maybe it would help if she closed her eyes for a minute.

No, she couldn't. She needed to…

Byleth felt a different sort of pain in her chest as she fought to turn back time. She focused on the moment before Flayn called out, allowing the pressure to build then release. The wind blew across her skin.

“Professor, watch out!” Flayn yelled.

This time, Byleth rolled to the side instead of bracing to face Monica. The ballista twanged as a bolt sliced through the air where she had just been and lodged its sharp point into Monica’s forehead. She watched frozen in shock as the redhead stopped and tumbled backwards, sliding down the hill.

“Mercedes!” Byleth called out for the healer as she ran forward to reach the injured student. But by the time she got there, it was not Monica who lay there unmoving. Instead it was a young woman with black tattoos on her face and hair the color of Annette’s.

Flayn scrambled down from the platform. “Professor, please forgive me! I was aiming for-” She screamed when she saw the girl that was definitely not Monica. “Oh, what have I done?” she moaned, crumpling to the ground and beginning to sob.

Meanwhile, Byleth knelt down beside the uniform-clad body and put her hand to the girl’s neck to try to find a pulse, but there was none. Her blood trickled down her forehead, into her open eyes, and down her cheeks. It almost looked like she was crying.

A moment later, the bugle blew a triumphant note, shaking Byleth from her thoughts and signaling the end of the battle. She stood and looked over the hill to see who had won.

Dimitri was on his knees in front of Edelgard, a scowl on his face and her axe at his throat.

* * *

The walk back to the monastery was long, dismal, and almost entirely uphill. At the back of the caravan, the defeated Blue Lions slogged through the constant rain, mud sucking at their boots with every step.

Flayn was distraught that she had killed someone. She could not be consoled, no matter how many times Seteth assured her that it had been an accident. How that steel bolt got into the pre-loaded ballista ammunition was anybody’s guess.

But the even bigger mystery was who, or what, was Monica? And why had she tried to kill Byleth?

The prevailing theory was that she was a spy for those that opposed the Central Church, sent to eliminate the wielder of the Sword of the Creator. Perhaps that was why the Death Knight had not retreated with her and Flayn during the previous moon. Monica was meant to be found.

Although that did not explain how she was able to change her appearance.

Seteth said that it must be some unknown form of dark magic. This explanation fit with the theory that she was a member of that nameless organization. After all, that was the group that conjured the mysterious fog during Lonato’s rebellion and attacked the Holy Mausoleum.

Byleth tried to consider the implications of discovering a spy in their midst, but she just couldn’t think straight. Her head spun as she trekked through the woods with her students. She felt like her senses were on high-alert and it was positively overwhelming. On top of that, her neck and wrists itched incessantly and she had a constant headache from the sweet scent of honeysuckle that seemed to be stuck in her nose.

Due to the rain and the uphill climb, the return trip from Gronder Field took seven days instead of the five it had taken to travel the same distance in the other direction. By the last day, Byleth was exhausted and felt feverish despite the chill and the rain. She thought she must be coming down with something, but still she trudged along.

They had just started up the winding path to the monastery when she suddenly felt lightheaded. The edges of her vision darkened and she reached out to grab on to something to steady herself. Her fingers brushed against something soft as her knees buckled and the world spun around her.

Her sight was black and her ears were ringing, but, for the first time in days, she could smell something other than honeysuckle. She breathed in deeply and her eyes fluttered open to see Dimitri’s face above her. His spicy, clove-scented cologne was like a breath of fresh air after enduring that sickeningly sweet floral aroma for so long.

Eventually, Byleth registered the feeling of strong arms around her waist and steady hands supporting her back. She realized Dimitri was holding her up and quickly moved to stand on her own feet, but her knees gave out once more.

“Calm down, Professor.” Dimitri’s voice broke through the haze at last; the ringing in her ears dimmed to a constant humming. “It’s okay. I’ve got you,” he said as she relaxed into his arms.

He lowered her to the ground gently, more of that endearing concern in his eyes as he propped her up against a tree. He began to back away once it was clear she wasn’t going to fall over, but stopped after a step, still crouched down. “What’s wrong, Professor?” he asked. His words stood out above the buzzing in the background.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” she said as she tried to get up.

“Hey, take it easy for a minute,” Sylvain said. She got a whiff of mint as he placed a hand on her shoulder, but he pulled it back quickly. It might have been her imagination, but she thought she heard Dimitri growl at him.

Regardless, Byleth decided she was willing to stay seated for a little while. “I just… got a little dizzy,” she said.

Dimitri put a hand on her forehead and she breathed in more of his cologne. “She’s burning up,” he said over his shoulder.

Byleth thought she heard someone else’s voice, but she couldn’t understand what they said through the constant hum in her ears. “Huh?”

“Do you want Mercedes to take a look at you?” Dimitri asked.

She shook her head. The buzzing dimmed a bit more as she took several deep breaths. She would be fine, she just needed to lie down for a little while. “I just want to get back to the monastery,” she said.

Ingrid said something, but the words were fuzzy.

Dimitri looked over his shoulder for a moment, then turned back to Byleth. “Can you sit up?” he asked her.

She nodded and tried to push herself up once more.

“Just stay still, Professor,” Dimitri said as he moved next to her. He put one of his arms behind her back and slipped the other under her knees, picking her up so that her head rested against his shoulder. She felt the urge to nuzzle into his neck but she kept still.

He carried her over to Ingrid’s pegasus and lifted her into the saddle with ease. She still felt a little woozy, but she had recovered enough throw her leg over the animal’s back without falling off.

Byleth slid her feet into the stirrups and held on to the saddle as the class resumed the march up to Garreg Mach. Dimitri walked alongside her while Ingrid led the pegasus by the reins.

Whatever had come over her seemed to have mostly passed by the time they got back to the monastery that night. Byleth was still exhausted, but she was no longer dizzy. She dismounted the pegasus and stood without assistance.

Promising to see Professor Manuela the next day, she bid her students goodbye and turned to walk toward the dormitory. She saw Dimitri move like he was going to follow her, but he stopped before he took a step.

Back in her room, Byleth closed and locked the door, then sat down on the bed to pull off her muddy boots. She undressed the rest of the way, leaving her clothes on the floor where they fell, and then curled up under the covers.

She closed her eyes, but her body was too tense to fall asleep. Her wrists began to prickle and she rubbed at them with her fingertips. The scent of honeysuckle returned to her nose and her headache came back with it. She groaned and rolled onto her back, frustrated that she couldn’t sleep.

She laid awake for what seemed like hours, physically uncomfortable and feeling disconnected and hollow. Why couldn’t she just be happy to be back in her bed after two weeks on the road?

Byleth sighed dejectedly. She wished Dimitri was here. He always seemed to be able make her smile. If only he was with her now, somehow she knew he would be able to make her feel better.

She stared up at the wooden planks of the ceiling and wondered if this was what loneliness felt like.

If it was, it was miserable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that time in the game when Byleth faints for literally no reason? This time there’s a reason. 
> 
> Up next in Chapter 5: Smut


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! Your present is smut.  
  
Content Warning(s) for Chapter 5: Underage (17) sexual content, Dubious consent

Dimitri took the dormitory stairs two at a time, in a hurry to get to his room. He felt like his cock had been hard for ages and he was eager to get some relief. There hadn’t been many opportunities to take care of his frustrations while traveling during the last two weeks.

He was hyperaware of his aching balls as he practically ran down the long hallway, feeling himself brush teasingly against his underclothes with every step. It would have been pleasurable if he wasn’t already past the point of desperation.

Dimitri finally reached his room, salvation close at hand, but he heard a snap as he thrust his door open. He looked down to see that the doorknob had come off in his hand. He was used to unexpectedly breaking things, but that was a new one for him. He stared at it for a moment before dropping it on the floor behind him.

Once inside his room, he wasted no time in shoving the dresser against the door to hold it closed. The last thing he wanted right now was for someone to interrupt his privacy.

He lit a candle and then began to strip off his armor.

The professor’s perfume tickled his nose as he removed his breastplate. Some of it must have rubbed off on his cape when he held her against his chest earlier. She had been wearing an almost dizzying amount of it today. He didn’t mind at all, except for the fact that it made him feel like he was going to go mad with arousal.

Dimitri unpinned the cape, scrunching it up and bringing it to his face. He inhaled greedily and the sweet scent of honeysuckle brought thoughts of her to his mind. Unable to wait any longer, he unlaced his trousers and pulled himself out of his underclothes.

He wrapped his hand firmly around his turgid cock and began to stroke himself, stifling a moan as he imagined that it was her touching him instead. He knew it was wrong to think about the professor while he did this, but he couldn’t help himself. He buried his nose in the cape to get more of her fragrance and conjured up his most recent fantasy; this was what she would smell like if she was an Omega.

He was so sensitive and so pent up that he came almost instantly, squeezing his swollen knot as he grunted and shook through the most powerful orgasm of his life.

Panting and dazed, he fell back onto the bed. He lay there floating weightlessly for a few minutes, then used the bedsheets to wipe a startling amount of semen off of himself.

Stress began to slowly creep back into his body as the afterglow faded. His knot had gone down, but he was still hard and his balls still felt achingly full. How was that possible? He came so much!

Frustrated and annoyed, he groaned and rolled onto his side. He needed to get himself under control. His irritability was starting to affect other people, like earlier that day when he had actually growled at Sylvain for trying to touch the professor.

Dimitri knew that kind of Alpha behavior was unacceptable, but he couldn’t explain why he did it. It was like some sort of switch flipped when she collapsed into his arms. All of a sudden he didn’t want anyone else but him to touch her.

He decided he was probably just on edge because he was exhausted from the long journey. He should try to get some sleep, but strangely he didn’t feel tired.

His still-erect length bobbed against his stomach as he slipped his legs out of his trousers. He moved to take off his uniform shirt, but it tore where he gripped it to pull it over his head. “Goddess, what else?” he grumbled as he threw the ripped shirt on the floor. He could usually at least undress himself without damaging something.

He got under the covers, blew out the candle, and forced himself to close his eyes.

After a few minutes, it was clear his erection wasn’t going to just go away like he had hoped. He tried thinking about his combat training routine to distract himself, but his cock throbbed in defiance, unwilling to be ignored. He gave in and pleasured himself a second time, but his relief was short-lived yet again. Feeling restless, he threw the covers back and got up to pace across the room.

Alone in the darkness, Dimitri’s thoughts drifted to the professor once more. He had a nagging feeling that she was more ill than she had let on. His eyes were drawn to his boots where they sat by the door. He should go check on her.

No, it wasn’t his place to worry over her. He knew that, and yet it seemed so wrong to be apart after having her nearby for the last two weeks. His instincts said he needed to keep her close so he could protect her. Even once they had returned to the monastery, he hadn’t wanted to let her out of his sight. Letting her walk away from him earlier that day had felt like it went against his very nature.

He told himself that she was much safer alone in her room than she had been when they were traveling, but it did nothing to ease the twisting of his stomach. His steps paused as he realized something.

She was alone in her room.

Alone.

What if she had fainted again before she could get in bed? He grabbed his pants and began to pull them on hurriedly. What if she had collapsed and hit her head? What if she was hurt?

Dimitri eyed his ripped uniform shirt as he laced up his trousers loosely, hoping to hide his seemingly interminable erection. He would probably be the only one out this late. He decided he could get away with just wearing his plain white undershirt, then put on his boots and shoved the dresser out of the way. He pulled the door closed behind him as he left the room, but without a knob to latch it shut, it still hung open just a crack.

Goosebumps rose on his bare forearms as he walked purposefully towards her room, but he barely felt the cold. His mind was consumed with thoughts of the professor laying hurt on the floor, needing help. The churning in his gut got worse and he lengthened his stride.

Dimitri stopped outside her door, having second thoughts. It was indecent for him to call on her at this time of night, and dressed in only his undershirt no less. Besides, she was probably already asleep.

He had just decided that maybe he shouldn’t disturb her after all, when he realized he could smell her perfume all the way out here. His pulse quickened with worry. Had she fallen and broken the bottle?

He knew he shouldn’t bother her, but he just needed to make sure she was ok. Gently tapping his knuckles against the door, he called out to her quietly. “Professor?”

There was no response.

“Professor?” he tried again a little louder, knocking more firmly as well. He held his breath to listen for any detectable sound.

There was no response.

She might be fast asleep, or she might be lying on the floor unconscious. Either way, it couldn’t hurt to check if the door was locked.

Dimitri reached out to test the doorknob, but something cracked as he gave it a twist. Oh no, had he broken this one too? What was the matter with him?

He tried the doorknob again. It spun in his hand, so it was clearly unlocked, but there was no click of the latch. Expecting it was just stuck, he pushed the door with his shoulder.

The lock shattered the wood of the doorframe and he stumbled into the room.

“I’m so sorry, Professor. I-” He halted as his searching gaze fell upon the bed. The professor lay there curled up with the covers thrown back, completely nude and shimmering with sweat.

Dimitri gulped and immediately looked away. His swollen cock throbbed as he breathed in the perfume-saturated air. He felt compelled to go to her, to touch her, to kiss her. The doorknob crumpled in his hand as he attempted to restrain himself.

Eyes averted, he heard the professor shift around on the bed. “Dimi… tri...?”

Her voice was so small, so… vulnerable. She was clearly unwell.

“Yes Professor, it’s me,” he said, trying to sound reassuring even though his knees shook. It took all the willpower he had to prevent his legs from moving towards her. He needed to get out of here or he wouldn’t be able to stay in control. “I’ll go get Professor Manuela,” he said, turning to retreat.

“No!” Her whimper stopped him in his tracks.

Turning back to the room, he saw her holding herself up on her elbows and looking towards him. A beam of moonlight shone through the window and onto her face. Her pupils were blown wide and she was breathing heavily.

It was then that he noticed her hair was a different color than it had been that afternoon. How odd. He wondered if this was a dream.

Dimitri shook his head in an attempt to clear his muddled thoughts. “No what, Professor? Tell me how I can help.” His eyes were fixed to her face as he waited for her response. He was willing to get her anything, absolutely anything.

“I need…”

Anything.

“…you.”

His self-control crumbled into dust.

Dimitri let go of the ruined doorknob, door swinging closed behind him as he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. His heart pounded in his ears. She needed him…

As soon as he was within reach, the professor grabbed his hand and pulled it to her face, closing her eyes and nuzzling his wrist with a happy hum. Oh, this was a delightful dream, he thought, slowly reaching out to push her curiously colored hair back from her face.

His hand halted an inch away from her skin. If this was real, he shouldn’t touch her.

Then her nose brushed against his scent gland, causing his dick to twitch in his trousers. Surely this was a dream. It was simply too good to be true. He allowed his fingertips to caress her cheek as he gazed down at her reverently.

The tip of her tongue peeked out of her mouth and she gave his wrist a tentative lick. He shivered and groaned in pleasure. What a perfect dream this was. It felt so real. And she was acting like a…

Suddenly he remembered her fever. His unending arousal and his irritability with Sylvain. The increasing intensity of her ‘perfume’ over the past few days. It all added up.

She was acting like an Omega in heat.

That realization sent Dimitri stumbling back in shock, pulling his hand from her grasp. He raised his wrist to his nose and sniffed where she licked him, finding the barest hint of sweet honeysuckle intermixed with his own spicy scent. He stared at her, mouth agape, as she reached out to him from the bed. Oh Goddess, this could not possibly be real.

He pinched his forearm and winced in pain. This wasn’t a dream.

She was an Omega.

She was in heat.

She needed an Alpha.

She needed him.

Unable to think any more, Dimitri crossed the room in two great strides and cradled the professor’s face in his palms. Her warm hands wrapped around his wrists as she looked up at him with eyes filled with desire. And then he bent down and kissed her like he had wanted to for so long.

That first press of her lips against his was everything he had imagined, everything he could have hoped for.

He groaned low in his throat as instinct took over. Gently pushing her onto her back, he crawled on top of her without ever allowing his lips to leave hers. His cock hung heavy against his underclothes as he hovered above her, knees on either side of her naked thighs and one hand braced against the mattress near her shoulder.

She whimpered when he pulled back slightly. One palm still cupping her cheek, he looked down at her with his lips tingling and his heart pounding in his chest. He had never kissed a woman before.

The professor reached up to thread her fingers through his hair and pulled him back down for more. She led this kiss, guiding him to be soft and relaxed rather than firm. His head spun as she pressed her lips to his again and again, but never quite the same way twice. Their breathing synchronized as they fell into a rhythm: connect, savor, separate, repeat.

Dimitri moved so he had one leg between hers and then lowered his body to lay flush against her, being sure to support his own weight on his elbows so as not to crush her. Warmth seeped through his undershirt as her body undulated beneath him. Her hands slid down his neck and over his shoulders while he ground his clothed cock against her thigh. Goddess, this felt so… right.

She nudged his head to the side, pressing her nose into his neck and lapping at his scent gland. The gentle stimulation caused him to tremble as he panted shallow breaths into her ear and moaned at the knowledge that she wanted him to bear her honeysuckle scent.

He wanted to mark her with his scent, too. To prove that she was his to touch, his to kiss, and no one else’s.

Dimitri used a firm yet gentle hand to turn her head to the side and hold it down on the mattress, exposing her throat to his hungry lips. Still rutting against her thigh, he mouthed at the tender skin, licking and sucking while needy whines escaped from her lips. He desperately wished he could taste her.

She shuddered beneath him when his teeth grazed her neck. He longed to bite her and permanently claim her for himself, but he clenched his jaw shut to prevent himself from doing something so irresponsible. He should not bond with anyone before he was wed. He would have to settle for coating her with his scent.

Dimitri released her head and moved to lap at the other side of her throat. She stretched her neck out willingly, baring her sensitive gland for his attention. Her submission caused him to let out a low, pleased hum. She was his.

He gave her skin a steady stream of slow, broad licks, then paused to check his work by sniffing at her neck. The combination of his scent and hers, cloves and honey, made something in his brain go pleasantly numb. He gave her neck one final soft kiss, then pulled back to stare at her with hooded eyes.

His warm, fuzzy feeling suddenly evaporated when he saw the look of discomfort on her face. Was she in pain? Had he done something wrong? Concerned, he scrambled off of her and sat back on his heels.

“No, please,” she whined as her hand twisted into this undershirt and tugged insistently.

“Pr- Professor, I-” he stammered, resisting her pull.

“Byleth.”

Dimitri blinked at her as she moved onto her knees and turned to face him. He couldn’t have heard that right. Did she just tell him to call her Byleth? “Wha-?”

He was interrupted when she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him firmly. “Say Byleth.” She kissed him again, pushing her breasts against his chest. “Please.”

“Oh, Byleth,” he moaned, giving in and kissing her back. He wrapped an arm around her and they fell down to the mattress, laying side-by-side.

Nervous and unsure what to do next, he ran his hand over the curve of her hip and continued to kiss her until Byleth broke away, gasping. “Dimitri, I need…” She grabbed his hand from her hip and pulled it between her legs.

His eyes fell shut and a groan rose from his lungs as he cupped her womanhood in his hand. She was so warm. So soft. His finger slipped between her folds. So wet.

Dimitri began to cautiously explore her. His hand became coated in her slick as he gently stroked her, encouraged by the beautiful little noises she made for him. He nuzzled into her neck and lapped at her gland to reinforce his scent on her.

His breath caught in his throat when her hand moved to the front of his trousers. She began to tug at the laces, untying them to loosen his clothing, then grabbed his hip to roll him onto his back. He whined in complaint as the motion caused his hand to slide out from between her legs.

His protests were soon forgotten as Byleth climbed on top of him. He reached up to caress her breasts instead and was stunned to find that they were even softer than he had imagined. He let his damp fingertips trail across her taut, pink nipples.

Then she curled her fingers around the waistband of his trousers and underclothes, pulling them down with several quick tugs. His throbbing dick sprang free, but she couldn’t pull his clothes past his knees. He rose up onto his elbows, intending to sit up to take his boots off, but she pushed his shoulders back against the bed and held him in place.

Dimitri gulped when he saw her dripping slit hovering above his stomach, right at eye level.

One of Byleth’s hands released his shoulder to slide down his chest ever so slowly. He tangled his fingers in the bedsheets and whimpered in anticipation as she neared his aching cock.

Then she squeezed him gently and her simple touch brought him relief like a fresh drink of water in the middle of the desert. Stroking him several times, she soothed and cooled a small bit of the need that burned inside him, but it wasn’t enough.

He wanted her.

He wanted her so badly it hurt.

Dimitri gasped when the sensitive head of his cock brushed against her as she positioned him. He stared in disbelief at where she held him beneath her. Surely he would not fit inside her. She was so small and he was so… well, large.

“I don’t want to hurt-” he began to say, but he was struck mute when he felt himself slide into her, pushing her open as she lowered her hips down until they met with his. He twisted his hands further into the sheets and heard a ripping noise, but it was quickly drowned out by her long, high-pitched moan of pleasure.

Dimitri would have made a similar noise if he wasn’t so overwhelmed.

She felt divine. Her tight warmth around him was heaven, an answer to his prayers. Like the Goddess herself had listened to his heart’s desire.

Byleth looked down at him with eyes glazed over in bliss. He sent her a dazed smile and relaxed his hold on the torn bedsheets as he tried to remember how to breathe.

After a moment, she leaned forward onto his chest and began to rock her hips, moaning and shuddering in delight. Her small movements caused him to light up in pleasure as he ran his hands over her shoulders and up and down her back. She was his. Finally. All of her. Only his.

He settled his hands on her rump and moved her experimentally, her glorious tightness sliding along his shaft. “Oh, Pro- Byleth,” he moaned as he plunged back into her heat.

She mewled at her name and shoved her nose into the crook of his neck. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, allowing her to lave at his throat once more. A long, low groan came from his chest as he lifted her hips and then pulled her down, gliding in and out of her slowly. This was perfection.

He wanted more.

Dimitri began to roll his hips as well, eager to press into her when he couldn’t pull her down quickly enough. He tightened his grip on her rear so he could bounce her faster.

It became more difficult to slide smoothly inside her as his knot began to swell. Byleth gasped against his neck every time it popped in or out of her. There was no way he could ever get enough of this, he thought. The tight pressure on his knot felt incredible.

His orgasm began to build, tension coalescing at a single point deep within him. He tried to pull out for another thrust, but he felt a sudden tug as his knot refused to leave her. He whined in desperation. He was so close, he just needed a little more. Bracing his feet on the bed, he held her steady and pounded up into her, trying to get as deep as he possibly could.

Please.

Please.

He was so cl-

Dimitri’s whole body went rigid as the pulse of his orgasm pushed pleasure through his cock, the tension releasing and flowing out of him. He groaned in ecstasy as each thick spurt of cum caused the sensitive head of his penis to rub against her walls. He instinctively rocked his hips slowly and the gentle tug on his knot intensified his bliss.

Then somehow Byleth squeezed him even tighter, so tight that the pressure made him see stars. She dug her fingernails into his shoulders as her body began to convulse, writhing against his chest. The rhythmic clench and release around his length caused him to grunt while she wailed like she was being tortured.

Afraid he was hurting her, Dimitri tried to pull out but his knot was stuck inside her, preventing his seed from leaking out. With their bodies tied together, he could do nothing but endure as she milked the cum from him. He ran a soothing hand along her back until her tremors subsided and she melted onto his chest with a sigh.

Satisfied that she was not in pain, he allowed his eyes to close and relaxed into the sensation of his twitching cock pumping his sperm into her.

He hadn’t known sex would be like this. Didn’t know it was even possible to come for so long. No wonder Sylvain was always chasing after girls.

Several minutes passed, then Byleth moved suddenly, wiggling her hips and tugging on his cock. His body jerked, muscles tightening reflexively at the unexpected stimulation, as she pushed her legs out behind her so she could lie on his stomach instead of sitting on her knees. Then, with a contented hum, she wilted against him and rested her head on his shoulder.

Dimitri held her in his arms while he filled her with the rest of his cum. Eventually, a glowing warmth enveloped his body as the ache he had suffered all day finally faded, his balls completely drained. He bent his neck to kiss his professor on the forehead, then drifted off to sleep with his trousers tangled around his knees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! See you in the new year.  
  
Up next in Chapter 6: More smut


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning(s) for Chapter 6: Underage (17) sexual content, Dubious consent

Byleth lay on her back and sighed contentedly, feeling more relaxed than she had in a long time. She must have finally fallen asleep sometime last night, because the last thing she remembered clearly was lying in bed, ears ringing and feeling suffocated by the scent of honeysuckle. She certainly felt much better now.

Not yet ready to open her eyes to the grey light of dawn, her mind drifted as bits of her dream came back to her. It had been an awfully strange one. She recalled that there had been a stone throne, golden lights, and a voice…

“It appears the time has come for you to receive my blessing.”

Sothis’ words from the dream echoed through her thoughts.

“Thrice now you have turned back time during the heat of battle,” Sothis continued, stepping down from the throne. “You have proven your ability to wield my power, and so now I relinquish it to you. Use it as you see fit and know that our souls will always be as one.”

A thousand golden lights swirled around them as Sothis raised her hand, arm outstretched. She began to float towards Byleth, her fingertips fading away when the two came into contact with each other. Scorching flames licked up Byleth’s arm and blazed through her body as Sothis’ form blurred into her own.

Her fever must have returned while she slept.

The dream changed after that. It was hazy, but she knew Dimitri was there. She remembered his arms around her and a liquid warmth in her stomach that soothed, rather than burned, as it filled her up. That part of the dream had made her feel safe, cared-for, like she was wrapped in a cocoon of clove-scented comfort.

Byleth wanted to languish in the memory of her dream, but her body began to smolder once more. The buzzing in her ears was back and her neck started to itch yet again.

She made a sleepy noise of discomfort and moved to scratch at it, but fingers suddenly wrapped around her wrist and held it to the mattress beside her head. Still drowsy, she whined in frustration and tried to free her hand.

Then something hot and wet slid against her neck, making her moan as her body went limp. Oh, that felt even better than scratching.

An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her against a solid heat. Something long and hard pressed into her hip as a pleasant weight settled over one of her legs. There was a familiar scent in the air, but it smelled… sweeter than she remembered. “Dimitri?” she said softly, eyes gradually blinking open.

“I’m here, Professor.” Dimitri’s breath whispered across her ear, quiet words standing out above the constant humming in her head.

She shivered in response, enjoying the way his voice resonated through her body. She wanted to hear him say her name like that. “Please,” she whined. “Say-”

“Byleth.”

His voice electrified her, tingling all the way down to her toes and causing liquid slick to trickle from between her legs. She moaned and instinctively tilted her head away to bare her throat to him. He rewarded her with a kiss to the underside of her jaw.

She felt lightheaded and her breathing got heavier as her body temperature continued to rise. Dimitri’s tongue flicked against her throat and soothed that itch, but Byleth felt a tickling ache start to take root inside her. She squeezed her legs together and squirmed in search of friction.

Dimitri released her waist and skimmed his hand over her stomach. The pads of his fingers brushed along the crease where her thighs and pelvis met. “Please, let me touch you,” he murmured into her ear.

Byleth shifted her knees apart, then went still. Her chest rose and fell in time with her breath as she awaited his touch.

Then his warm hand slid between her legs, providing delicious pressure. She closed her eyes and shivered as his finger dipped between her sensitive lips. He stroked her repeatedly, alleviating a bit of the itch, but it wasn’t enough. She needed something inside her.

Byleth rolled her hips to tempt him to enter her and he obliged, slipping one long finger inside and gently caressing her walls. Desperate for sensation, she clenched around him.

Dimitri moaned against her neck and slid another finger inside. “Goddess, you are so perfect,” he said, stroking her more firmly now.

Byleth hummed happily and ground her clit against the heel of his hand as he moved within her. She gasped and flinched a little when his fingers pressed against a spot that caused a tingling feeling to shoot up her spine. She wanted him to do that again but he pulled out of her instead, leaving her empty and hollow.

Dimitri sat up on his knees and raised his hand to his nose, cock twitching when he sniffed at his slick-covered fingers. He gave them a shy lick, then groaned and sucked them into his mouth.

Meanwhile, Byleth writhed on the bed, body burning and aching with want. More slick gushed from between her legs as she looked pleadingly at Dimitri. The itch inside her demanded his attention, but he was still captivated by his fingers. Unable to wait any longer, she begged. “Please, I need you.”

Her words seemed to spark something in him.

Dimitri immediately maneuvered between her legs, using his knees to push her thighs apart, and put one hand on the bed by her shoulder. She trembled in anticipation as he positioned himself at her entrance. He leaned down to kiss her gently, then finally pushed his hips forward, sheathing himself inside her.

Byleth let out a noise of relief at the wonderful feeling of fullness, no longer achingly empty. He moaned too, arms shaking as he held his body above her. She squeezed around his cock and he promptly fell against her chest as his elbows gave out.

She wrapped her arms around his back and held him tight, but the relief she felt began to fade as he lay still on top of her. His length inside her was ecstasy, but it did not satisfy the itch she felt. She clung to him and wiggled her hips, willing him to move.

Dimitri held himself up on his forearms and reluctantly pulled out of her, then slowly pushed back inside. Her breath caught in her throat as the head of his cock rubbed against that spot that made her brain go numb. He did it again and she shivered, going slack against the mattress.

He pushed one arm under her back and pulled her up against his chest as his thrusts began to pick up speed. Drawn in by the honeyed-clove scent of his cologne, she nuzzled into his neck. He smelled so good that she felt the urge to lick him, so she touched her tongue against his skin. He moaned and shuddered in response.

Encouraged by his reaction, she lapped at his throat while he continued to drive into her, but she soon became overwhelmed with pleasure. Something was pushing her open wider and wider, causing her to gasp louder and louder as it plunged in and out of her. It should have been painful, but it kept pressing against that spot and all she could think was _more._

Byleth began to pant against his collarbone as the pressure inside her grew too great, too intense, but somehow it still wasn’t enough; the itch inside her demanded something unknown. “Please,” she whined. “Please!”

Dimitri released her head and shoved both arms underneath her, wrapping his hands around her shoulders. Her fingernails clawed at his back as he pulled their bodies together with quick, harsh movements.

Then he groaned and she felt him throb as his hot cum coated her insides and soothed her need at last. He started rocking his hips slowly, something tugging and pushing against that spot. She felt her muscles tighten and draw inward as he continued to grind against her, her body going taut like a bow string. If he kept moving like that, she would…

She would…

The tension snapped and pure bliss coursed through her veins as uncontrollable convulsions racked her body. Everything was so much, so sensitive, that she cried out, feeling like she had ascended to another plane of existence. She felt herself contract around his cock and the extra pressure prolonged her orgasm, nerves tingling and waves of pleasure emanating from her center, one after another.

Eventually Byleth came back down to earth to lay limp on the bed, feeling pleasantly dazed. That itch no longer plagued her and the buzzing in her ears had finally gone away. Distantly, she noticed she could still feel Dimitri twitching inside her. Her arms slid down from around his shoulders and she sighed into his chest.

He pulled her hands above her head and licked her wrists tenderly as she lay beneath him, practically purring with satisfaction. His weight on top of her felt reassuring and protective. It felt like she was where she belonged.

She must have been so content that she nodded off for a few minutes, because she was startled awake by Manuela’s sing-song voice coming from outside her room. “Oh, Professor!”

Dimitri, still on top of her, growled and looked over his shoulder.

There was a knock on the door, but with the lock of no use, it swung inward freely. “Professor?” Manuela asked as she stepped into the room. “How are you-”

Byleth yelped in pain as something popped out of her when Dimitri rose up on his hands and knees. 

“Oh my!” The door slammed shut.

Dimitri stilled abruptly and looked back at her, eyes wide in alarm. She whimpered, feeling a cramp in her lower stomach as his cum spilled out of her.

He quickly lay on his side, rolled her into his arms, and started petting her hair. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m so sorry,” he murmured over and over again, in between kisses to the top of her head.

Byleth took several breaths to calm down, then wrapped her arm around him and snuggled into his chest. Being surrounded by him, by the scent of his cologne, made her feel safe and warm. It was comforting.

He stroked her hair until the pain faded and she soon fell back asleep.

* * *

The next time Byleth woke, everything felt a little hazy and there was a faint buzzing in her ears, but she could smell something tasty. She blinked her eyes as she looked around her room, finding a sizeable hunk of fresh-baked bread sitting on the nightstand behind her headboard. She was reluctant to leave the luscious heat against her back, but she was hungry.

Byleth tried to roll out of bed, but the arm around her waist tightened and held her in place. Unable to move, she stared longingly at the bread. She shifted onto her front to reach for it without getting up, but her arms were too short. Her stomach rumbled as she huffed in frustration.

Then Dimitri stretched and moved from behind her to sit against the wall at the head of the bed. He pulled her up with him so she could lean back onto his chest, then grabbed the bread and handed it to her.

Byleth bit into the crusty, fluffy loaf and moaned in delight. Dimitri’s hands trailed along her arms, down her sides, and over her thighs while she devoured the bread. She relaxed into his touch when she was done, hunger temporarily sated, but now she was thirsty.

Her eyes flicked hopefully back to the nightstand, finding a cup of strong, dark tea sitting there as well. She leaned over to pick it up, but Dimitri’s arm wrapped around her ribs and prevented her from moving away from him. Instead, he reached over and handed her the cup.

She settled back against him once more and sniffed the tea, finding it to be nutty and earthy. Dimitri pulled her hair back from her shoulder and kissed into the crook of her neck as she took a sip. The tea was lukewarm, but still good. His hands slid up to grope at her chest while she drained the cup.

Byleth shivered as ice snaked through her veins. Starting in her stomach, it crept up through her chest and shoulders and down her arms and legs. When it reached her head, she suddenly she felt vividly awake, like she had been dunked in a bucket of cold water.

She blinked and looked down at the empty teacup in her hands. She heard the birds chirp outside her window. She realized Dimitri was sitting behind her, fondling her breasts. “Dimitri?”

“Byleth,” he moaned into her shoulder as he ran his thumb across her nipple.

“What are you doing?”

He froze.

Byleth twisted around to look at him, feeling disoriented more than anything else. How come he was in her room? Why wasn’t she wearing anything?

Dimitri stared at her, mouth open and eyes wide in shock. Then he suddenly scrambled out from behind her, stark naked as he bent over to pick his clothes up off the floor. “Professor, I’m so sorry!” He turned away from her and stuffed his legs into his trousers. “I had no idea, I swear it! You- You seemed unwell, and I-” he said, hastily cinching the laces at his waist.

“Hold on, I-”

“I just thought- I didn’t know-” Dimitri rambled on as he pulled his shirt over the white scars and fresh pink marks that crisscrossed his back. “I’m so sorry!” As soon as he was clothed, he ran out of the room without looking back.

“Wait, Dimitri!” she called out, but he was already gone. She looked around and saw her own clothes and a pair of men’s boots scattered across the floor. “You forgot your shoes...”

* * *

Dimitri was halfway up the dormitory stairs when he realized he was barefoot, but he simply could not face his professor again right now. He would admit that he never really had a plan for how to handle things once her heat was over, but he might have dared to hope that she enjoyed it as much as he did. Obviously, she just wanted to pretend that nothing had happened at all. Needless to say, he was thoroughly embarrassed.

He just wanted to be alone to sort through his thoughts, but he heard voices as he approached his room.

“I would have heard something if there had been a fight,” Sylvain said. “I was up half the night with-”

“Stop. I don’t want to know,” Felix said.

Dimitri stalled in the hallway a few steps from his open door, torn between reclaiming his space and running away. He really didn’t want to be anywhere near another Alpha right now, let alone Sylvain. He could smell Byleth’s scent all over himself.

Then Dedue said, “We must find His Highness. He was not at breakfast and I have looked everywhere.”

Dimitri sighed and decided he could not allow Dedue to worry any longer. He cleared his throat and stepped into his room. “I’m here, Dedue.”

“Your Highness.” Dedue bowed in greeting, but paused before standing back up. “Where are your boots?”

“I um…” Dimitri blushed. “I forgot them.”

“Oh-ho-ho!” Sylvain grinned, eyes darting between Dimitri’s undershirt and his bare feet. “Have a nice walk of shame, Your Highness? Who’s the lucky girl?” Dimitri’s blush deepened as Sylvain sniffed the air.

“Tch, I’m leaving.” Felix elbowed Dimitri in the ribs on his way out of the room.

“No way…” Sylvain stepped closer to Dimitri and sniffed again. “I don’t believe it. Is that the professor’s perfume?”

“Please don’t…” Dimitri’s face burned as he looked down at the floor.

“All right!” Sylvain clapped him on the back enthusiastically. “I wondered when you were going to make your move. I knew you had it in you! Well, in her I guess, but-”

“Sylvain!”

Sylvain chuckled and stretched his arms behind his head as he turned around and stepped backwards towards the hallway. “Well, I’ll see you at lunch. I’m sure you worked up an appetite.” He winked, then slipped out the door.

Dimitri groaned and sat down on the bed, hiding his face in his hands.

“Is there anything I can do, Your Highness?” Dedue asked.

“Would you please get my boots from…” Dimitri’s voice was muffled and pained with embarrassment. “From Professor Byleth’s quarters?”

Dedue nodded silently and left the room.

Alone at last, Dimitri sighed. What was he going to do now? He had molested his professor; he was sure to be thrown out of the academy. Worse, if there had been even the slightest possibility of being with her, he had just gone and spoiled it by taking advantage of her heat. It was a bittersweet way to find out that she was an Omega after all.

Suddenly, a terrifying thought occurred to him. What if he had gotten her pregnant? Part of him, the Alpha part, was thrilled by thought of her swollen with his child. But the rest of him was sickened by the fact that he might have just ruined her life.

What if she lost her job because of him? She couldn’t go back to being a mercenary if she had a royal bastard in her belly. She shouldn’t have to face the consequences of his own lack of self-control.

Yes, it was clear what must be done.

He had to confess to Seteth and beg him not to punish Byleth.

* * *

Byleth felt much more like herself after a bath. She was still very confused, but her head felt clearer than it had in days. While she scrubbed, she tried to remember what happened after she got in bed last night, but she came up with more questions than answers.

How had she and Dimitri gotten into that position? Why were they both naked? Did they have sex? How come she couldn’t remember? Why was her hair green and how did the bedsheets get ripped to shreds? What in the world happened to her doorknob?

She left the bathhouse thinking that it was strange how she could still smell Dimitri’s oddly sweet cologne on herself.

The cold temperature and dreary sky meant that she didn’t pass by anyone on the short walk to her room, but she found Professor Manuela standing outside her door as though waiting for her to get back.

“Hello Professor,” Manuela said. “Erm… What happened to your hair?”

Byleth shrugged. “I don’t really know,” she said truthfully.

“Okay… Well, I thought you might want these.” Manuela held out a fresh change of sheets.

“Thank you,” Byleth said, taking the offering. “But how did you know I needed clean sheets?”

“Well, um…” Manuela shivered as a chilly gust of wind blew her skirt around her legs. “Do you mind if I come in for a minute?”

Byleth shook her head and pushed her door open with the toe of her boot. She set the sheets down on the desk while Manuela closed the door behind her.

“I heard you were ill yesterday so I came down to check on you this morning. I thought you must have noticed, but I suppose you were rather busy at the time.”

“Oh.” Byleth couldn’t recall seeing Manuela earlier that day, but maybe she had heard her voice? “Everything since last night is kind of hazy,” she said, moving to take the ruined sheets off the bed.

Manuela crossed her arms and clucked her tongue in disapproval. “Don’t play coy with me, Professor. I know what I saw.”

Byleth looked at her for an explanation. Did she know why Dimitri was in her room? “What you… saw?”

“Yes, you and the prince!” Manuela leaned back against the door and inspected her fingernails. “How was he, by the way?”

Byleth blushed as she bundled up the dirty sheets, remembering his distinct lack of clothing that morning. “He was very… um… apologetic.” She supposed that was the best way to describe his attitude.

“How adorable. What else?”

What else? “I guess uh…” Byleth stretched the clean sheet over the mattress. “Eager to um...”

Manuela chuckled.

“…leave.”

“What!?”

She looked up from her work to see Manuela staring at her with shock written all over her face.

“This morning,” Byleth said. “The first thing I remember is him running out of my room. Everything else since I got in bed last night is fuzzy.”

“Oh. Well…” Manuela tapped her fingers on her bicep, arms still crossed. “When I came to check on you, you two were doing it.”

So she did know what had happened! Byleth pulled a clean blanket over the bed and asked, “Doing what?”

“Having a roll in the hay,” Manuela said.

Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. She knew her room was messy, but there wasn’t any hay that she had seen.

“Moving the furniture.”

Everything seemed to be in its place…

“Knocking boots.”

She suddenly realized Dimitri’s shoes were gone.

“You were raised by mercenaries! How do you not know what that means?” Manuela put her hand to her face and shook her head. “You were having sex!”

Byleth plopped down on the freshly-made bed, feeling dazed. Had they really…? “I was trying to figure out if we actually… did. I wasn’t sure if that was just a fever dream or not.”

“A fever?” Manuela perked up.

Byleth stared at the wall. “Yeah,” she said distractedly. “But I felt better after a cup of tea.”

“You’re welcome for that, by the way.” Manuela crossed her arms again. “Next time, come to see me about it before so I don’t have to sneak it into your room. You need to drink it before or right after, or else it won’t be effective.”

She looked up at Manuela. “Effective?”

“It’s a contraceptive.”

Byleth felt her face heat up.

“But your fever…” Manuela paced across the floor, tapping her finger on her lip thoughtfully. “Was it just last night or did it get worse over several days?”

“It started on the way back from Gronder Field.”

“I see… and you said it went away this morning? After you drank the tea?”

Byleth nodded.

Manuela stopped pacing and stood to face her. “Professor, did you know you’re an Omega?”

She shook her head. Hadn’t Dimitri said that word before? She meant to ask him about it, but it must have slipped her mind. “What’s that?”

Manuela groaned and pressed her face into her hand. “I thought working at a military academy meant I wouldn’t have to explain all this,” she muttered under her breath. She gave a sigh of resignation as she sat down on the bed next to Byleth.

“Your body is changing, Professor,” Manuela said, adopting a lecturing tone. “You might start to feel itchy all the time or notice you can hear or smell things that you couldn’t before. Sound familiar?”

She nodded.

“Congratulations. You’ve just presented as an Omega and had your first heat.”

Byleth wasn’t sure why she should be congratulated. “What’s a heat?”

“Well, the Goddess blessed Omegas with a special _cycle_ that helps them…” Manuela paused to clear her throat.

Didn’t Sothis say something about a blessing? Was that not a dream either?

“It helps them bear children with Alphas,” she continued. “Alphas that are around an Omega in heat are compelled to mate with them.”

A jolt of fear ran up her spine. Dimitri said he was an Alpha, didn’t he? Had she somehow forced him to lie with her?

Manuela nodded at the empty teacup on the nightstand. “That tea will prevent you from going into heat again. You have to drink it regularly, but don’t worry if you miss a dose or two. It takes a while to wear off.” She stood up to leave. “Come by the infirmary later and I’ll give you some. I grow the Verona seeds myself, so I always have a stash on hand.”

Byleth looked up at her, still in somewhat of a shock. “Thank you, Manuela.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said as she headed out the door. “I’ll see you later.” She pulled the door shut behind her, but it creaked back open just a bit.

Byleth remained seated on the bed, clasping her hands together and twiddling her thumbs. She should have known something like this was going to happen eventually. She had been allowing herself to indulge in Dimitri’s kisses for weeks. If she had just talked to him sooner, she could have prevented this from happening.

And now it was much too late to try turning back time, but what else was she supposed to do? She had slept with a student; she would surely be fired. They might even kick Dimitri out of the academy too, but it wasn’t his fault. Apparently, her heat had coerced him into her bed. At this point, the only thing she could do was try to protect him from the consequences of her negligence.

Yes, it was clear what must be done.

She had to confess to Seteth and beg him not to punish Dimitri.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next in Chapter 7: The aftermath… Here’s a sneak peek.
> 
> “I love you, Byleth,” he said into her hair.  
“I love you too.”


	8. Chapter 7

Byleth stewed in her guilt while she walked to Seteth’s office.

This whole situation was entirely her fault. She should never have allowed herself to want more of Dimitri’s kisses. If she had put a stop to his innocent affections, he might not have come to her room last night. She might not have accidentally coerced him into her bed.

Lost in her thoughts, Byleth nearly ran into someone when she turned around the corner. A sweet and tangy scent reached her nose as she stopped just short of colliding with Hilda.

“Woah, Professor! Hey, what did you do to your hair? It’s so…” Hilda’s voice trailed off as she sniffed and scrunched up her nose. “Why do you smell like Dimitri?”

Byleth was shocked that Hilda could identify Dimitri’s cologne so easily. She opened her mouth to give some sort of excuse, but no sound came out.

Hilda gasped and clapped her hands together in excitement. “Professor, you didn’t! Oh, I can’t wait to tell Claude about this!” She ran off down the corridor with a huge grin on her face.

Byleth’s gut churned with anxiety as she continued on her way. Hopefully Hilda hadn’t deduced that she and Dimitri had slept together, but that girl was smarter than she let on.

She knocked on Seteth’s door, then leaned back against the opposite wall to wait, arms crossed and toe tapping with restless energy.

After a few moments of silence, the door creaked open to reveal Dimitri. He blushed when he saw her and immediately looked away. “By-” He swallowed heavily. “Professor,” he said, voice wavering in apprehension.

Byleth’s stomach sank like a stone. Dimitri obviously felt uncomfortable around her now.

“Oh, is that Professor Byleth?” Seteth’s voice came from within the room. “Do come in, Professor. Dimitri, please take a seat again.”

Dimitri stepped back to allow Byleth to enter the room, then closed the door behind her. Studiously avoiding looking at each other, they sat down in the chairs across from Seteth, who was making some notes on a piece of parchment.

Seteth put his quill down and looked up at them. “Dimitri was just explaining about…” He paused as his gaze focused on her hair. “About what happened last night,” he continued after a moment, lacing his fingers together on top of what Byleth realized was a disciplinary note.

“You can’t punish him!” she burst out.

Seteth stared at her, eyebrows raised and lips pressed firmly together. _Convince me_, his expression seemed to say.

“Please, it’s not his fault,” she begged.

“That is very gracious of you Professor,” Dimitri said, “but there is simply no excuse for my behavior.”

Byleth turned to see his head hung in shame. Did he blame himself for what happened? She knew he had a strong will, but no one could be expected to resist whatever divine compulsion had affected him. She had to make sure Seteth knew. “No! I was um… in heat. My first.”

“In heat, you say?” Seteth’s eyes flicked back and forth between them. “Did you at least take precautions?”

“Precautions?” Byleth looked at him for clarification.

“Against pregnancy.”

“Oh.” Her gaze dropped to the desk as Dimitri’s posture stiffened in the seat beside her. “I’ve seen Professor Manuela. It’s taken care of.”

Something inside her hurt when Dimitri let out a breath he had apparently been holding. It didn’t make any sense, but part of her was disappointed that he didn’t want her to be pregnant.

“Good,” Seteth said as he picked up his quill and dipped it in the inkpot. “You said it was your first heat, Professor?” He looked up, waiting for her response.

She nodded, hoping that was enough of a reason to get Dimitri out of whatever punishment he had been about to receive.

“How odd. Alphas and Omegas usually present at puberty,” Seteth said as he scratched at the parchment, seemingly unconcerned.

Byleth hoped that was a good sign.

“Normally I would have you both removed from the Officer’s Academy. Intimate relations between faculty and students are simply not tolerated.”

She swallowed thickly. So much for a good sign.

“However…” He set his quill down and clasped his hands together again. “Given the extraordinary circumstances, I will not prescribe any punishment.”

Byleth and Dimitri both sighed in relief.

“But I will have to inform Lady Rhea. And do not allow it to happen again,” Seteth said, giving each of them a stern look. “You may go.”

Dimitri held the door open for her and they stepped out into the hallway.

Byleth still needed to go by the infirmary to get more Verona tea, but she was determined to reassure Dimitri that what had happened last night was not his fault in the slightest. After all, she was the one who had allowed things to get this far. She turned around to face him, looking up at his still-pink cheeks.

“I’m sorry-” they both said at the same time, promptly averting their eyes once more.

“It was not my intent-” he tried again.

“I know, Dimitri,” she said, glancing back up at him. Of course he hadn’t meant to sleep with her. A stolen kiss here and there was one thing, but sex was a big step. She blushed as she realized she had probably taken his virtue.

“If I had only…” Dimitri sighed and looked down the corridor as a pained expression crossed over his features.

“No, I should have said…” She trailed off when she realized she didn’t know how to finish that sentence without revealing her power. It wasn’t like he knew they had kissed before. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. “It’s fine.”

“It was… a mistake,” he said.

“An accident.”

They stood in awkward silence, feet shuffling and eyes looking anywhere but at each other.

“I’ll uh… see you in class tomorrow,” she said.

“Yes.”

Byleth stepped to the right to go on her way but Dimitri mirrored her movement. They stepped to her left in tandem, standing face-to-face, yet looking over each other’s shoulder. Dimitri let out a nervous laugh and backed up against the wall, allowing her to escape to the infirmary.

* * *

Byleth’s stomach had settled a little by the time she delivered the supply of tea to her room. She was still worried about whether Hilda had figured it out, but now that she knew Dimitri wouldn’t be punished, she actually felt a little hungry. She headed to the dining hall and grabbed a plate of stir-fry.

The buzz of the diners’ chatter filled her ears as she looked for a place to sit. It was the middle of the lunch hour, so most of the benches were full, but she spotted an empty seat at the far end of one of the tables.

She carried her tray across the room, feeling self-conscious as people stopped eating to look at her when she passed by. They couldn’t possibly know about her and Dimitri, she told herself. It was just because they were surprised by her new hair color.

She was just about to sit down when Petra walked up to her and sniffed the air. Byleth stilled, afraid she already knew what was coming next.

“Petra, wait!” Dorothea yelled from the door to the courtyard.

Petra took another step forward, crowding into Byleth’s personal space. She sniffed again, then tilted her head in confusion. “Professor, Hilda is saying that you are doing the sex with Dimitri,” she said loudly.

Byleth blushed as the people sitting nearby stopped talking. If they didn’t know before, they certainly did now.

“You can’t just-” Dorothea tried to interrupt, still several steps away, but Petra continued speaking.

“She can be telling because of the smell, but I am not smelling anything. Can you please be explaining?”

Byleth stared at her, unable to respond. She didn’t know why she still smelled like Dimitri’s cologne. It hadn’t washed off during her bath.

She caught a whiff of jasmine as Dorothea stepped up beside Petra.

“Petra, it’s impolite to- Oh!” Dorothea raised a hand to cover her mouth. “Wow, Professor.” She giggled behind her fingers. “Dimitri really did a number on you.”

Byleth’s face burned. The three of them were now the center of attention and everyone’s stares made her wish she could disappear. She didn’t know what else to do except issue a strategic retreat. “Excuse me,” she said as she hurried outside, still carrying her lunch tray.

She kept her head down on the way to the dormitory, but she noticed Hilda out of the corner of her eye. The pink-haired girl was leaning against a column, talking animatedly with half a dozen Knights of Seiros. They went silent and their eyes followed Byleth as she walked by.

Great. At this rate, the whole monastery would know by the end of the day. She gripped her tray tighter and sped up her steps.

Byleth hid in her room for the rest of the afternoon, wrestling with her guilt and trying to stay out of sight. She was mortified that everyone knew she had slept with Dimitri. Normally she wouldn’t be ashamed of the act itself, but she had apparently forced herself on him, albeit unintentionally.

What a horrible professor she was. Her students were supposed to be able to rely on her to teach and guide them, not molest or take advantage of them. Would Dimitri ever be able to trust her again?

Byleth was pulled from her thoughts by a knock on the door. She swung her legs off the bed as her father stuck his head into the room.

“Hey kid. I brought you some dinner,” Jeralt said, holding up a plate with a sandwich on it.

Her spirits lifted immediately. 

Grateful that she wouldn’t have to endure the dining hall again today, Byleth got up, ran over to her father, and threw her arms around him in a great big hug. She wondered if he had been working in the stables today, since he smelled like rich, dusty straw.

Jeralt used his free hand to tousle her hair affectionately. “Heh, your scent is sweet. Like your mother’s.”

She pulled back to look up at him. “My scent? You’re not going to mention my hair color?”

He shook his head as he stepped inside the room. “I’ve never heard of anyone’s hair changing colors when they presented, but… Well, you’ve always been special, Byleth,” he said, handing her the sandwich. “Speaking of, I um… I have some stuff to talk to you about, if you have the time.”

She nodded, then sat down on her bed and began to eat while Jeralt pulled the chair out from the desk. He straddled it and leaned forward, resting his arms on top of the back of the chair. “So, Alphas and Omegas…” He tapped his fingers as he tried to figure out what to say.

Byleth ate another couple bites of her sandwich, waiting for him to continue.

He took a deep breath and began again. “They have pheromones that only other Alphas and Omegas can detect.”

Her forehead crinkled as she chewed. Manuela hadn’t mentioned that earlier. Were there other things she had left out as well? She did seem to want to be done with that conversation as quickly as possible.

“It’s a smell that comes from here and here,” Jeralt said, pointing to his neck and wrists. “And no two people smell exactly alike. I’ve been told my scent is like straw, for instance.”

Byleth nodded and swallowed her food. Apparently, her father was an Alpha and had always smelled like that, she had just never been able to sense it before. “What do I smell like?”

“You smell like…” He leaned towards her and sniffed. “Like honeysuckle.”

“Oh.” She supposed that made sense, considering that was all she had been able to smell in the days leading up to her heat.

“But right now, you also smell an awful lot like that prince in your class,” Jeralt growled.

Byleth crammed another bite of sandwich in her mouth to avoid having to say anything.

“He didn’t bite your neck, did he?”

She shook her head and swallowed, then said, “I don’t think so.” She honestly couldn’t remember.

“Hm, you would know. When an Alpha bites an Omega’s scent gland, he claims her as his mate. It… creates a sort of bond between them.”

“Was my mother a… Were you… bonded?” Byleth was always hesitant to ask about her mother. Her father usually became very subdued whenever he spoke about her.

“Yes.” True to her expectations, his eyes dropped to the floor.

She decided to change the subject. “Why didn’t you ever tell me about this stuff?” She took another bite of dinner as he looked up at her and sighed.

“There was no need,” he said with a shrug. “I watched, but you never started scratching. I just assumed you were a Beta.”

“What’s that?” Byleth asked around a mouthful of sandwich.

“Someone who’s not an Alpha or Omega.” Jeralt sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I’ll admit that I probably should have told you about all this before now…” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I should have told you about a lot of things.”

She swallowed the last of her dinner. “Like what?”

He shifted in his seat, seemingly uncomfortable. “Your mother… didn’t die of illness.”

Byleth sat the empty plate on her nightstand and leaned forward to listen more intently.

“She died giving birth to you.”

She blinked as the unpleasant weight of guilt returned to her stomach.

“At least, that’s what Lady Rhea told me. It’s all in here,” Jeralt said, pulling a leather-bound book out of a large pouch on his belt. He got up from the chair to sit next to her on the bed.

Byleth took the book from him and ran her fingers over the cover. The leather was worn and discolored around the edges. She started to flip through the pages, but his voice brought her attention back to the present.

“Suffice it to say, I don’t trust Lady Rhea.” Jeralt put a hand on her knee. His voice was softer as he said, “And I’m worried about you, kid. I heard about what happened at the mock battle.”

Byleth gave her father a small smile. His concern warmed her heart, but he didn’t need to worry over her. “I’m alright,” she assured him, wrapping her arms around him again.

He sighed and hugged her back. “I know you’re tough, but don’t let your guard down. That girl may be gone, but there could be others.”

She nodded against his chest, breathing in his soothing, straw-like scent.

“I love you, Byleth,” he said into her hair.

“I love you too.”

Jeralt glanced out the window as she pulled back from the hug. “It’s getting late. I should let you get some sleep.” He grunted as he stood up to leave. “I’ll be around for a few weeks, but remember to watch your back,” he advised, looking at her to make sure she heard him.

Byleth nodded.

“Good.” He took a step towards the door, but stopped to shake his head. “Can’t believe he broke through the damn doorframe…”

She blushed behind his back.

“I’ll try to get someone to come over tomorrow to get that fixed. In the meantime, you should barricade yourself in. And put this under your pillow.” He held out a dagger.

“I’ll be fine,” she said as she sat the book on the bed and stood to show him out.

“Humor an old man, will you?”

Byleth huffed, but she took the dagger.

She closed the door once they said their goodbyes. He really was worrying over nothing, but she still dragged the chair over and jammed the back of it under the broken doorknob. It might not stop the door from opening, but it would at least make a noise and wake her up if someone tried to come in.

Byleth tossed the dagger on the bed then sat down, leaning back against the wall. She picked up the book and began to read what turned out to be her father’s diary from around the time she was born. He had surprisingly pretty handwriting.

She lit a candle and read late into the night, absorbing the information about her mother and about her own past. Her father’s mistrust of Lady Rhea was certainly understandable based on what she discovered. She paused to put a hand to her chest in search of a heartbeat she hadn’t known she lacked.

The candle burned low as Byleth kept reading. She realized she knew the little town where her father had hidden her away during the great fire twenty-one years ago. Ludgate village was not more than two hours from here. They had passed through there when they escorted Dimitri, Edelgard, and Claude back to the monastery all those moons ago.

Eventually, she turned the page and was greeted by the back cover of the journal. She yawned and set it aside, then blew out the candle and got into bed. After all, she did have to teach class tomorrow. Or was it today by now? Regardless, she was not looking forward to it.

Byleth tried to mentally rehearse her lecture in an effort to put herself to sleep, but the smell of honey and cloves kept pulling her thoughts back to Dimitri. Apparently, that fragrance was partly his scent on her skin. Her stomach clenched as she realized that anyone who was an Alpha or Omega would immediately know they had slept together.

That is, if there was still anyone that hadn’t already found out from Hilda.

It occurred to her that Hilda must be an Omega, and Dorothea too, since they had been able to smell Dimitri on her. They hadn’t seemed to take offense to the evidence of her misconduct, but what about her own students? How would they act around her tomorrow? Would they be disgusted with her? Try to transfer out of her class?

Byleth lay awake, mulling it over in her head as she waited for dawn. The uncertainty was intolerable. If she just knew what was going to happen, she could figure out how to deal with it.

She finally got out of bed when the first rays of sun shone through her window. She wished she could take a leaf out of Bernadetta’s book and stay in her room, but she forced her feet towards the Blue Lions’ classroom, determined to face whatever the day may bring.

* * *

It turned out that class that morning was not as bad as Byleth was afraid it would be. Ingrid looked a little tense and Flayn was rather withdrawn, but overall the students seemed to be acting normally. The only exception was Dimitri, who refused to meet her eyes and slipped out of the classroom as soon as the lunch break began.

The rest of the class eventually filed out of the room as well, but Byleth remained at her desk, trying to process her feelings. Dimitri’s distant, aloof demeanor wasn’t any worse than she expected, but it still hurt.

She consoled herself with the thought that the other students weren’t repulsed by her, so maybe he wouldn’t be so wary of her forever. She would give him space so that maybe, in time, she could earn his trust again.

With those worries eased a bit, a new thought came to her mind. She had been so preoccupied with how class would go that she had nearly forgotten about what she read in her father’s diary last night. Apparently, her mother was buried here at Garreg Mach.

Byleth got up from her desk, but instead of heading to lunch, she walked through the reception hall, took a left at the end of the path, and found herself at the top of a short flight of stairs. She took a deep breath, then descended to the monastery graveyard.

It didn’t take long to find her mother. The given name had worn away, but _Eisner, 1139-1159_ was still legible. People passed by on the walkway at the top of the stairs while Byleth stood and stared at the gravestone.

She had always known that her mother was dead, but being here, seeing her grave, made it really sink in that she was a person once. A person who was gone.

She supposed she ought to feel sad about it, but this woman was a stranger to her. Instead, she just felt… kind of hungry.

“She gave her life for you,” a voice said from her left.

Byleth turned to see Lady Rhea standing beside her, looking at the grave as well.

“She sacrificed herself so you could be here now,” the Archbishop said, her gaze lifting from the headstone to meet Byleth’s eyes. “It appears it was for a worthy cause, if I may say so. You are quite special, Professor.”

Byleth’s brow furrowed as she recalled her father saying the same thing yesterday evening. She assumed he meant her missing heartbeat and lack of emotions, but was that what Rhea was referring to as well? If so, perhaps she could explain the cause of those irregularities.

Byleth was about to ask Rhea what she knew, but her father’s warning that she was not to be trusted echoed through her thoughts. “What do you mean?” she asked instead, feigning ignorance.

Rhea gave her a motherly smile and said, “Those blessed by the Goddess are less common now than ever.”

Ah, so it wasn’t about those things at all.

“Your presentation as an Omega is deserving of celebration,” she continued, “but it is odd that it did not occur until now. Tell me Professor, can you think of any explanation?”

Byleth dropped her eyes as she recalled the dream where she had received Sothis’ blessing. It seemed innocent enough, but she had a feeling she should play her cards close to her chest. “No,” she lied, shaking her head.

Rhea’s face fell, but her disappointment was gone in a flash. Her voice was even and cool as she said, “Please be sure to keep me informed in the event that you do notice anything strange. Perhaps the flow of time will reveal the truth to you someday.”

Byleth nodded, hoping that she would eventually discover what exactly made her so unique.

After a moment, Rhea said, “In any case, I must apologize for what occurred during the mock battle. It was my blindness that allowed an agent of our enemy into our midst.”

“Oh, it’s fine. She didn’t hurt me.” It had been a close call, but only because she had been caught off guard by that bolt.

“Professor, those who oppose the Church of Seiros represent a dire threat to all of Fodlan,” Rhea said with a solemn frown on her face. “You would do well not to underestimate them.”

Byleth nodded in understanding as the Archbishop turned her eyes back to the grave. The two women stood in silence for several minutes before the bell chimed from the clock tower, signaling the end of the lunch break.

Byleth shuffled her feet, waiting for Rhea to dismiss her, but she was still staring at the headstone. After several seconds, she spoke up hesitantly. “Well, I’d better be going…”

“Hm?” Rhea blinked as she looked up. “Oh, yes, of course. You must return to your students.”

Byleth gave a slight bow and turned to head back to her classroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next in Chapter 8: Dimitri and Jeralt have a heart-to-heart


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning(s) for Chapter 8: Underage (17) sexual content

After leaving Seteth’s office, Dimitri spent the rest of the day wallowing in his guilt. Byleth had excused what happened last night as a consequence of her heat, but he knew it was his lack of self-control that was to blame. The fact was that he had allowed himself to indulge in her body while she was incapable of refusing him.

He had tried to apologize, but he could not ignore the unease in her eyes or the way she was so eager to get away from him. His professor may have forgiven him for taking advantage of her, but she was apparently still afraid of him, and rightfully so.

He was a monster.

No matter how much he wished to deny it, some sick part of him had enjoyed molesting her. Dimitri hated himself for it, but there was no escaping it.

Memories of the night before plagued his mind as he lay in bed that evening, fighting against the temptation to pleasure himself. It was depraved to continue to lust after a woman he had already defiled, but the mingled smell of honey and cloves drew his hand lower and lower, until he ultimately succumbed to his baser desires.

There was a shameful repeat performance in the morning.

Now, Dimitri sat in his usual seat near the front of the Blue Lions’ classroom while his professor returned a stack of graded assignments. He kept his head down, unable to look her in the eye, but he couldn’t resist taking a deep breath through his nose when she walked past him. A quiet, contented hum left his throat as his scent on her skin eased a strange tension in his mind.

However, the evidence that they had lain together sent his head spiraling back into depravity once more. He peered up from under his lashes, hungry gaze settling on her shapely hips as she headed up to the chalkboard.

Dimitri tried to concentrate on the lesson, but his thoughts kept drifting away from Byleth’s words, stubbornly preferring to focus on her body instead. It was disgraceful to admit, but this experience was nothing new to him. He was used to daydreaming about her during class, imagining what it would be like to hold her, or how it would feel to kiss her. But it was different now.

Now, he didn’t have to imagine, because he knew.

He knew what it felt like to wrap his arms around her, knew the soft brush of her lips against his. He closed his eyes as he recalled the sensation of her skin beneath his fingertips, silky smooth and blessedly perfect, just as he had imagined. But even the countless hours spent dreaming about her hadn’t prepared him for the softness of her breasts.

The way they yielded to his touch so willingly made him want to lavish them with attention. He had cupped them in his hands, so warm and smooth like the rest of her, but he wished he’d had the opportunity to kiss them. He couldn’t help but imagine pressing his lips to each one oh so gently, and then maybe he would flick his tongue across her nipple before closing his mouth around it and-

Dimitri’s musings came to an abrupt end as he realized the crotch of his trousers had become uncomfortably tight. Disgusted with himself, he shook his head to clear his thoughts. He shouldn’t be thinking about his professor that way. Besides, it wasn’t like he would ever have another chance to touch her. She had made it perfectly clear that she wanted to pretend like the whole thing had never happened.

With that in mind, he redirected his attention towards the lecture, but the tights she wore clung to her figure and did nothing to obscure his view of her legs.

Dimitri’s rebellious eyes slid along her body, pausing for a moment on the bit of her stomach that was visible through her armor, before admiring her breasts and her delicate neck, then finally coming to rest on her plush, pink lips. The lips he had kissed, and had kissed him back. The lips that had begged for him, said that she needed him.

A shiver ran up his spine as he recalled the mind-blowing feeling of sliding into her tight heat. He wanted to feel that again, but even if she let him have her once more, he knew that it wouldn’t be enough to slake his thirst.

He could never have enough of her.

He wanted to bite her, to sink his teeth into her neck, so that she would belong to him permanently. Once they were mated, he would bury his knot in her over and over again, fill her with his seed until she-

The chair next to his screeched across the floor as Dedue stood up. 

Dimitri glanced around, his head foggy and disoriented. Was class already over? Everyone else was milling around, so it must be so.

He looked down at the blank page on his desk and blinked when he realized he hadn’t taken any notes. His cock throbbed while he tried and failed to recall even a single word of the lecture.

He hid his erection behind his notebook as he scurried out of the classroom.

Upon reaching his quarters, Dimitri pushed his dresser in front of the door again, then took himself in his hand and imagined his professor crawling onto the bed.

He pictured her with her chest against the mattress, but legs spread and hips raised, presenting herself to him. He would be able to smell her sweet honeysuckle scent as he ran his hand over the swell of her rump and down between her legs, pushing his fingers inside her and then bringing them to his mouth.

He stroked himself faster, unable to repress a moan as he remembered that one quick taste of her slick on his fingers. It had been the first thing he could actually taste in weeks and her intoxicating flavor had overridden him completely.

In his fantasy, she trembled when he dipped his head down and slipped his tongue through her slit, collecting her nectar and relishing the taste. He wanted to lose himself in the act and savor her for hours, but he was too eager to be inside her again.

He knelt on the bed and imagined positioning himself behind her, mounting her, then gripping her hips and pulling her back onto him while he pounded into her. He pumped himself harder and squeezed his knot with his other hand, recalling the rapturous feeling of releasing inside her as he came all over his bedsheets.

Dimitri sank back onto his heels and leaned against the wall, covering his eyes with his forearm in an attempt to hide from the returning shame. On top of everything else, he realized that to take her in that position would be… undignified. Beastly.

She deserved better than that. She deserved someone who would treat her gently, tenderly. Someone who wouldn’t just rut into her like an animal.

Someone better than him.

He sighed as he cleaned up and tucked himself away. He couldn’t go on like this, running to his room every time she crossed his mind. There had to be something he could do to prevent himself from-

There was a knock on the door.

Dimitri jumped up off the bed, double-checked that his trousers were laced up, then shoved the dresser back against the wall. He pulled the door inward to reveal Captain Jeralt, all six feet of him, standing in the hall with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Jeralt! I- I mean, Sir!” He gave a hasty bow of respect as his stomach clenched up in a knot. He should have expected that Jeralt would discover what he had done to Byleth. There was no way he couldn’t, not with how strongly she smelled like him.

“Your Highness,” Jeralt said, returning the gesture with a nod. “I wanted to talk to you about something. Is now a good time?”

Oh Goddess, what was Jeralt going to do to him? He didn’t want to find out, but he would have to, sooner or later. Better to get it over with.

“Of course! Um…” Dimitri glanced back over his shoulder at the soiled bedsheets on full display. If they were going to have this conversation, they had better have it elsewhere. Maybe Jeralt would go easy on him if they spoke in public. “Perhaps we could converse over lunch, if that is acceptable to you.”

“Sure.”

Dimitri breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he had avoided that particular embarrassment.

Dimitri’s thoughts spun while the two Alphas walked stiffly and silently to the dining hall. He knew it was inevitable that he would have had to face Jeralt someday. After all, what kind of father wouldn’t interrogate his daughter’s potential suitor? If only it could have been under better circumstances.

He wished he could go back in time and do things properly. Wait until he had graduated, and then declare his intentions honorably. Ask Jeralt for permission to court his daughter, instead of begging his forgiveness. But that was impossible, of course. The situation was what it was.

The savory aroma of Daphnel stew overpowered Jeralt’s coarse, straw-like scent as they arrived in the bustling dining hall. They each took a bowl of soup, then sat down opposite each other.

Jeralt took a bite and chewed while Dimitri shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He picked up his spoon, but he was so nervous didn’t think he could eat right now. Why didn’t Jeralt say something? Dimitri wished he would get on with the scolding, or the threats, or whatever else was coming his way. He didn’t know if he could stand the silence any-

“Mm, soup’s good,” Jeralt said.

Dimitri looked up from his bowl, not daring to believe that Jeralt just wanted to talk to him civilly. “Y- Yes, Sir.”

“Heh, you haven’t even taken a bite,” Jeralt said, one side of his lips pulled up into a small smile.

He scrambled to put a spoonful of soup in his mouth.

“You don’t need to be nervous around me, kid.” Jeralt put one elbow on the table, leaned forward, and narrowed his eyes in a glare. “Do you?”

Was he asking if he planned to force himself on Byleth again? Dimitri shook his head and swallowed his half-chewed food so he could say, “No, Sir.”

“Good. Then we can do this the easy way.” Jeralt relaxed and prepared another bite of his lunch. “Now, from my understanding, what happened the other night was…” He looked at Dimitri expectantly as he put his spoon in his mouth.

“A mistake, Sir.”

He nodded in approval. “Byleth is an adult and can make her own choices, but I remember what it’s like to be a young buck. So, I’m warning you to make sure that she _has _a choice. Understand?”

Dimitri paled as the thought of mating Byleth without her consent turned his stomach sour. She had seemed so willing, baring her neck for him, but that had only been because of her heat. It wasn’t how she actually felt. He had to remember that.

He nodded emphatically and said, “Yes, Sir.”

“I can’t stop you kids from doing whatever you want to do.” Jeralt sighed and shook his head, then looked Dimitri straight in the eye, lips turned down in a serious frown. “Just remember to respect her, protect her, and appreciate her. As long as she’s happy, we’ll be alright, son.” He held his hand out across the table.

“Yes, Sir,” Dimitri said, shaking his hand.

Jeralt tightened his grip when Dimitri tried to pull his hand away, holding him in place. He leaned forward, voice low and dangerous as he said, “But if you ever touch my daughter again without her permission, you’ll have an appointment with the business end of my lance.”

Dimitri gulped and nodded frantically, his throat too tight to make a sound. He may be stronger, but Jeralt had many more years of combat experience than he did. He wouldn’t stand a chance against the older man.

Jeralt nodded in satisfaction and released his hand. He was about to take another bite of soup, but something behind Dimitri caught his attention. “Hey, Alois! Hold on a minute!” he shouted across the dining hall. “Excuse me, Your Highness.” Jeralt stood and picked up his tray before walking away in the direction Alois must have gone.

Dimitri took a heavy breath and looked down at his soup. Well, that went better than expected. No anger, just a bit of paternal intimidation. Jeralt had even given him his approval to woo Byleth, as long as she welcomed his attentions.

It was insult on top of injury to know that if he had only done things right, there was a chance that she could have been his. But now that he had ruined everything, he would be lucky if she ever spoke to him again outside of class.

It was probably for the best, he thought as he used his spoon to push the chunks around in his soup.

He wasn’t sure he could control himself around her, not with the way his mind had been lately. He simply had to stop thinking about her all the time. He couldn’t afford to let his thoughts dwell on the size of her breasts… or how her lips curled up when she smiled… or what it felt like when she-

Damn it!

Frustrated with himself, Dimitri banged the heel of his hand against his forehead several times. It was painfully clear that the only way he could protect Byleth from himself was to stay away from her. If he didn’t see her, he wouldn’t have the opportunity to slip up and lose control.

Unfortunately, he still had to go to class.

Dimitri suffered through the afternoon lecture, attempting to distract himself with thoughts of Fhirdiad, of horsemanship, of Jeralt’s lance through his gut, anything besides Byleth. But no matter what he tried, he could not keep his mind out of the gutter.

When the lesson was finally over, he found himself at a loss for what to do next. There was no way he would be able to concentrate on the essay that had been assigned. He could barely remember what it was supposed to be about. And he couldn’t go back to his room, or he would just sit there and rub himself raw.

Perhaps Felix would be willing to spar with him, he thought. Maybe that would get her out of his head.

* * *

It turned out that fighting was indeed able to keep his thoughts away from his professor. Something about the threat of bodily harm forced him to focus on the present moment. When he was facing a slicing blade or a thrusting lance, he could react instinctively, unthinkingly, and allow everything else to fall away.

As an added benefit, it left him too tired to do much else other than collapse into bed that night. He had no doubt that if he had tried to sleep without first pushing himself to exhaustion, he would have fantasized about Byleth until he surrendered to his insatiable libido yet again.

Unfortunately, his dreams were not so easily subdued and he woke the next morning covered in his own sticky mess.

Dimitri hoped the situation would improve as her scent faded away, but things only got worse over the next several days.

His obscene cravings did diminish, but they were replaced by whispers that clawed at the back of his mind. Each night, he lay in bed, unable to sleep as his friends and family scolded him for what he had done. They seemed to quiet during the day, but that was when the longing set in.

Whenever he wasn’t in class, Dimitri felt the urge to seek out his professor, wanting to bring her flowers, or a cup of tea, or whatever she might ask of him. He would even offer to clean her room if it meant he got to be with her for a little while.

He was willing to do anything to get a whiff of her scent or see a hint of her smile, but he forced himself to leave her alone. He may have better control of his impulses now, but there was no way to take back the sin he had committed against her. Keeping his distance, no matter how much he wished to be close to her, was the only sort of atonement he could offer.

Dimitri endured his self-imposed punishment for over a week, until one day when a certain redheaded skirt-chaser decided to get involved.

The sky outside was dark as Dimitri sat alone in the mostly-empty dining hall, picking at his tasteless dinner. He knew he needed to nourish his body, but he wasn’t hungry. Just the thought of the food sliding down his throat, mockingly flavorless, was enough to put him off it.

Still, he ought to finish his meal so he could get some training in before it got too late. He could have eaten earlier, but recently he had taken all his meals at unusual times to reduce his chances of running into Byleth.

It was ironic that, in his efforts to stay away from her, he seemed to always know where she was. For instance, he knew she had dined with Dedue an hour earlier that evening.

Dimitri rested his chin in his hand as he wondered what they’d had to eat. She was so thoughtful, always being sure to serve the lucky student’s favorite dish, even if she had to gather the ingredients herself. And somehow she knew what everyone liked, even him, although he hadn’t been able to taste much in years.

He sighed dejectedly as he looked down at his saghert and cream. This was what she always asked the cooks to make whenever she shared a meal with him, but there was no joy in that thought tonight.

He missed the discussions they used to have while they ate, although it always seemed like he did most of the talking. He felt a little self-conscious about monopolizing the conversation, but she seemed to enjoy his stories. He usually told her anecdotes about his childhood, or other things that he hoped would bring a smile to her face.

But what would they talk about now? If she had invited him to eat with her tonight, what could he do to make her smile?

Nothing.

“There you are!”

Dimitri looked up to see Sylvain walking towards him from the direction of the garden. “Hello Sylvain,” he said sullenly.

“Well, I’m thrilled to see you too,” Sylvain said, standing across the table from him. “Listen, I know you said you didn’t want to talk about it, but I’ve been thinking about you and the professor and-”

Dimitri groaned and slid his hand up to cover his face. He didn’t want to hear any more of Sylvain’s misguided advice. There was simply nothing that could be done about the situation.

“Come on, Your Highness. Don’t you think your sulking has gone on for long enough?”

Dimitri shook his head. The voices had assured him that he deserved to suffer. “Please just… leave me alone,” he mumbled.

He jumped in his seat when two hands slammed onto the table in front of him.

“Hey, I tried, okay?” Sylvain said, a frustrated scowl on his face. “I gave you plenty of time to figure this out on your own, but it’s obvious you need my help.”

“Sylvain, I already told you. There’s nothing you can do,” Dimitri said as he got up to leave. “There’s nothing anyone can do.”

Sylvain rolled his eyes. “She didn’t actually say any of those things that girls say to me, did she? You know, get lost, leave me alone, that sort of thing?”

Dimitri shook his head and gathered his things.

“Then you can fix this! Why don’t you just go talk to her? Chat her up a bit?”

He took a few steps towards the kitchen to return his half-eaten dinner. “I can’t.”

“Why not? It’s not like you underperformed, is it?” Dimitri opened his mouth, but Sylvain didn’t give him a chance to defend himself before continuing. “Besides, she’s been looking awfully lonely, don’t you think?”

Dimitri froze, facing away from Sylvain. Aside from class, he had been avoiding her so successfully that he didn’t know whether that was true or not. Did Byleth miss spending time with him like he did her?

“I bet she’d be happy to have you around,” Sylvain coaxed.

There was a flutter of hope in his chest, but he squashed it like a bug. He shouldn’t burden her with the company of an untamed beast such as him. “Nonsense. She’s afraid of me,” he said without turning around.

“Fine. Have it your way,” Sylvain said. “But don’t get all hot and bothered when some other Alpha tries to make a move on her.”

Dimitri’s hands clenched as he stood in place, listening to Sylvain walk away. The thought of his professor smelling like someone else made him nauseous. She had borne _his_ scent after her heat. _He_ was the one she said that she needed. _Him_, not someone else.

He willed himself to relax his grip on the now slightly bent tray and resumed walking towards the kitchens. She should find someone that would bring her happiness. He could not keep that from her, no matter how much he wished that he could be the one to make her smile. But perhaps if he-

_Why are you wasting your time thinking about her?  
Have you forgotten your task?_

He was neglecting his duty, wasn’t he? He was letting his selfish desires distract him from his goal, the reason he was here at the Officer’s Academy. He ought to be concentrating on getting stronger so he could avenge his family.

Dirty dishes deposited, he headed to the training grounds, hoping to spar with whoever he could find.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next in Chapter 9: Byleth does yoga


	10. Chapter 9

The late autumn sun peeked through the clouds, bleak and cool as it shone down on the Garreg Mach archery range. Ashe and Flayn stood side by side, loosing arrow after arrow while Byleth looked on, wondering why Lady Rhea thought she was qualified for this job.

She didn’t know the first thing about wielding a bow, but thankfully her pupils had other resources they could turn to. The Knights were usually happy to tutor or spar with anyone that asked, and often times the students taught each other. She really was just here to gauge their progress and provide moral support.

Byleth’s gaze followed one of Ashe’s arrows as it flew through the air and hit the bullseye of the furthest target.

“Did you see that, Professor?” he asked excitedly, spinning around to face her.

She was about to congratulate him, but she nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw him looking at her with blank, empty eyes. She blinked and his eyes returned to normal.

Byleth smiled and nodded, unnerved by her brief vision, although it shouldn’t have caught her by surprise. She had slept remarkably well for the first week following her presentation, but then Ashe and Felix’s mutilated bodies had returned to haunt her dreams. As always, they were accompanied by a phantom pain in her chest that lingered for a moment after she woke, which was usually several times a night.

Consequently, she started each day already exhausted. She carried on tutoring her students as best she could, but it was difficult to stay focused. Just the other day, she had been giving a lecture on the importance of proper weapon maintenance but she had actually been thinking about-

There was a clatter as Flayn’s bow fell to the ground.

“Flayn? What’s wrong?” Ashe asked.

Byleth looked up to see Flayn, shoulders shaking and hiding her face in her hands. “Flayn? Are you alright?” she said, stepping over to her and gently touching her arm.

Flayn shrugged her hand off and took a step away, then sniffed and raised her head. She wiped her eyes as she said, “I am sorry Professor. I just…” She sniffed again. “I cannot seem to stop thinking about it.”

“Thinking about what, Flayn?” Byleth asked, concerned.

“If that bolt had hit you, Professor, then you would be…” Flayn’s lip trembled as she took a shuddering breath. “If you had not rolled out of the way, m- Monica would…” A lone tear trickled down her cheek.

This sudden display of emotion was puzzling. Was Flayn still upset about the mock battle?

Byleth supposed that nearly killing your professor would be traumatizing, but that had been almost three weeks ago and everything had turned out fine. “It’s ok, Flayn,” she said, trying to be comforting. “It’s all ok. You saved me.”

Flayn whimpered, then burst into tears and ran off, leaving her bow behind.

Byleth sighed defeatedly as she looked at Ashe, unsure of what to do next. She meant to soothe Flayn, but that had clearly been the wrong thing to say.

Ashe closed his eyes and shook his head sadly. “Poor Flayn. I can’t imagine what she must be feeling right now.”

Byleth looked in the direction Flayn had gone. She should have known better than to say something that would upset her further. She was such a sweet, sensitive girl, after all. “I think… I think maybe I should go apologize.”

“Alright. Good luck, Professor,” Ashe said, giving her a small smile. He pulled another arrow from his quiver and turned back to face the target.

Byleth wandered all around the monastery for an hour or so, but Flayn was nowhere to be found. She wasn’t in the cathedral or Seteth’s office, nor was she in the garden or the greenhouse. If she was in her room, she didn’t answer her door.

Having another student upset with her was the last thing she needed right now, Byleth thought as she headed down to the pond. She was already too preoccupied to teach properly, and adding another worry would be no help at all. At least when she was fishing it felt like she was doing something productive while her mind wandered away from her.

Byleth sat on the edge of the pier and cast her line into the water, kicking her feet as she wondered if things would always be like this. It seemed like something inside her must have changed during her presentation, because ever since then she had just felt… flat. She supposed she didn't usually feel very many emotions, but it had never really bothered her before. Now, it was like the world was suddenly colorless and dim. Like something was missing.

But that part was probably because Dimitri was still avoiding her.

Byleth had never realized how much time she spent with him until he wasn’t around anymore. He still came to lessons, but he didn’t stay afterwards to chat or walk her back to her room. She never saw him in the dining hall or ran into him at the training grounds. Apparently, he couldn’t stand the sight of her outside of class.

Truth be told, it was eating at her. Dimitri seemed like he understood that what had happened was an accident, that her heat had compelled them to have sex, but she had hoped that he would have forgiven her by now. She was trying to give him space to heal, but he must be even more upset with her than she thought.

She had spent many hours during the past week trying to think of some way to restore his trust in her, but she always came up empty-handed. Yesterday, she had finally given up and sought help by inviting Dedue to have dinner with her. She had asked if he had any ideas about how to earn Dimitri’s forgiveness, but the only thing he’d had to say was “His Highness prefers not to discuss such things.”

It was very disheartening.

Byleth was staring at the pond, trying not to think about how Dimitri might never be willing to talk to her again, when she heard footsteps approach from behind. She twisted around to see Sylvain plop down beside her.

“How’s the fishing, Professor?” he asked, leaning back on his hands and dangling his feet off the side of the pier.

Byleth caught a whiff of mint as she sighed and turned her attention back to the bobber that floated on the smooth surface of the water. “It’s fine.”

“Catch any big ones?”

She shrugged. “Not really.”

“Hey…” Sylvain said, looking her over with an evaluating eye. “Why so glum, Professor?”

For a moment, Byleth considered asking him what she could do about Dimitri. With his track record, Sylvain was bound to have some tips for earning someone's forgiveness, but she decided she shouldn’t trouble any more of her students. “I’m just… distracted, I suppose.”

“Well!” he said, leaning forward and clapping his hands together. “I’ve got an idea for how to get your mind off things. Why don’t you let me take you out for a night on the town?”

Byleth looked at him with eyes narrowed in suspicion. This behavior wasn’t anything unusual coming from Sylvain, but some of the Knights had been rather forward with her since her presentation. At least, they had been until she complained to her father about them.

Sylvain raised a hand to his chest, pretending to be offended. “Ouch, what’s with that look? Totally platonic, I swear.”

She shook her head as she lowered her gaze. “I don’t know, Sylvain. I haven’t been very good company lately.”

“I promise, I’ll make you smile,” he said, bumping her with his shoulder playfully.

She sighed again and her frown relaxed. Well, what could it hurt?

* * *

Dimitri just wanted to fight, to train, and try to forget his infatuation with Byleth, but what Sylvain said in the dining hall had given him a reason to keep an eye on her. He still refrained from speaking to her, but he couldn’t help himself from watching her for any signs of her supposed loneliness.

Overall, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Perhaps she was less expressive than she had been before, but that could be due to many things. It certainly wasn’t because she missed him.

However, he did notice that she was spending an awful lot of time with Sylvain. Not that there was anything wrong with that, of course. She was allowed to spend time with whoever she wished. Besides, it wasn’t like they were doing anything unseemly.

They went fishing together, had tea together, and ate meals together. All normal things that happened between a student and a teacher. But this wasn’t just any student; it was Sylvain. And this wasn’t just any teacher; it was his professor.

Dimitri reminded himself that it was none of his business whose company she enjoyed, but something about it ruffled his feathers. Mainly, he didn’t like the way Sylvain looked at her, his eyes sparkling with flirtatious intent. That was just Sylvain being Sylvain, but still...

It awakened something unpleasant within Dimitri.

Whenever he saw them together, his muscles tensed involuntarily, jaw clenching and hands curling into fists. He was glad that Byleth wasn’t lonely, but seeing her with someone else caused a spiteful feeling that simmered in his chest. He did his best to ignore it, but each time it bubbled up, he was left feeling restless and ill-tempered.

He coped by spending as much time as possible at the training grounds. There, his mind became blessedly empty as he funneled his irritation into the jab of his lance. There, he could find a brief respite from that ever-present resentment.

Fighting served as his escape for some time, until one evening when his anger flared up into a rage that tested the limits of his self-control.

Dimitri’s breath came out of his lungs in great, visible puffs as he battled Felix in the torchlight. The nights had grown colder since they returned from Gronder Field, but sweat still trickled down his back as he tried to anticipate his opponent’s next move.

The two Lions circled each other for a few paces before Felix sprang forward, aiming for a slash to the chest. There was the clack of wood hitting wood as Dimitri blocked the strike with the shaft of his practice lance. He repelled another blow that would have hit his hip, then countered with a series of thrusts, launching himself towards Felix.

He had just started to really lean into the movement when the most beautiful sound reached his ears.

Feminine laughter drew Dimitri’s attention away from his target, distracting him so he didn’t notice that Felix dodged his attack. Overextended and unable to stop his momentum, Dimitri tumbled to the ground. He grunted when Felix brought his sword down across his shoulder blades, earning the Beta a clear victory in the match.

Dimitri eyed his professor from across the courtyard as he stood back up. She was beautiful, as always, but his heart twisted at the sight of her smiling up at Sylvain. What did that incorrigible flirt ever do to deserve such an honor? That man was so loose with his affections, he was practically a menace to the women of Garreg Mach.

He tore his eyes away as he considered his next course of action. Knowing his professor was in Sylvain’s clutches made his skin crawl, but if he were to interfere now, he would have to approach her as well.

That left only two options. He could either leave the training grounds and be stuck feeling irritable, or he could try to ignore them and attempt to work out his frustrations.

He gripped his lance tighter and turned his frown towards Felix. “Again.”

In between whirling strikes and twirling parries, Dimitri caught glimpses of his professor and Sylvain. He couldn’t quite tell what they were doing, but they weren’t sparring, so why were they at the training grounds? Were they here just to torment him? Why would they-

There was a sharp crack as Felix’s sword collided with the back of Dimitri’s knuckles, making him drop his lance. Closing his eyes for a moment, he relished the numb ache in his joints while he scolded himself for getting distracted again.

“You’re losing your edge, Boar,” Felix taunted.

Dimitri opened his eyes and glared at Felix as he tried to rub some feeling back into his fingers. Very purposefully not looking towards his professor, he bent over to pick up his lance, then shifted his feet and focused his attention on his opponent. “Again.”

Felix began the round with a feint towards his right shoulder, followed by an underhanded swipe at his knees, but Dimitri kept the tip of his lance low, prepared to fend off his attacks. He retaliated with several sharp jabs at Felix’s feet, hoping to trip him up, but the swordsman danced around his thrusts.

Growing annoyed, Dimitri swung his lance around to catch Felix in the side of the head, but he left himself open while his weapon whooshed through the air. Felix took the opportunity to close in, and Dimitri was only just able to intercept his sword before it reached his chest. He grunted as he slammed his shoulder into Felix’s, shoving the swordsman away.

The Alpha and the Beta paused for a moment, sizing each other up while their heavy breaths clouded the courtyard. They had been sparring for the better part of the last half-hour, yet Dimitri could still feel that bitter tension pulsing in his muscles.

The problem was that Felix was too slippery. Dimitri hadn’t been able to land a hit, but Felix had already gotten two on him. The blood in his veins demanded retribution.

Suddenly, Dimitri charged forward, but Felix dodged a stab at his gut. Dimitri tried a slice to the arm. A blow to the femur. A crack on the head. All to the same result.

Dimitri’s attacks grew increasingly reckless as his frustration intensified. Strike after strike forced Felix to retreat across the training grounds, until finally the blunt tip of his lance connected with Felix’s chest, sending him down to the stone pavers.

Panting heavily, Dimitri’s brow furrowed as he relaxed his stance. Scoring that hit should have made him feel better, but for some reason it wasn’t satisfying.

It must have something to do with her being here.

Against his better judgement, Dimitri allowed his gaze to stray to the other side of the courtyard, where Byleth was… stretching? She had her hands and feet on the ground, body making a ninety-degree angle with her rear in the air. Her hair spilled down towards the earth, hiding her face but revealing the nape of her neck. A pang of longing seized his heart as his eyes scanned over her form.

Then he realized Sylvain stood behind her with his hands on her hips.

Dimitri grit his teeth as his irritation threatened to boil over. How dare Sylvain touch his professor like that! He ought to march over there and pull him off of her, then tear him limb from limb, or else take him by the neck and squeeze until he-

Dimitri’s practice lance snapped in two.

“What’s the matter with you?” Felix said, now back on his feet.

“Hmph.” Dimitri threw the shattered wood on the ground and stormed away before he could do something that he would later regret.

The frigid air burned his overheated skin as he stomped around the monastery, trying to cool his temper. He wandered past the classrooms and through the entrance hall, down to the market and up to the stables, but with the refuge of the training grounds denied him, he was forced to consider what he had just witnessed.

The occasional suggestive look was tolerable, but that had been positively lewd. He couldn’t believe Sylvain would put his hands on Byleth like that, and in public no less! It was clear that their relationship was quickly progressing into dangerous territory, and that simply could not stand.

Not because she ought to be with him instead.

Because it wasn’t safe for her to be with Sylvain. That despicable man didn’t have a faithful bone in his body. What would become of her when he inevitably moved on?

She would be heartbroken, that’s what. Absolutely crushed. He had to shield her from that pain, but what could he do to protect her?

Maybe he could corner Sylvain in the dormitory and scare him away from her. Say something along the lines of…

_Think carefully about how you treat the professor, Sylvain. If any harm comes to her as a result of your actions, I’ll…_

No, that was too aggressive. It wouldn’t do to let his Alpha attributes get the better of him. He would have to approach this rationally. Make sure he was calm, cool, and collected. Maybe he should say…

_I know I have no right to interfere, but I believe it would be in the professor’s best interest if perhaps you two saw each other less frequently._

Yes, that sounded good. Proper. Civil.

Not that Sylvain had ever listened to one of his lectures before, but he had to at least try to rescue Byleth before she got in too deep.

Thinking that he might be able to sleep now that he had a plan of attack, Dimitri made his way to the dormitory. He mentally rehearsed what he was going to say to Sylvain while he walked down the long hallway. He was just about to open his door, when a noise came from inside Sylvain’s room.

Oh good, he was awake. He could speak with him now.

Dimitri knocked on the door politely, fully intending to say what he had prepared, but all that flew out the window when he heard a voice.

A woman’s voice.

From inside Sylvain’s room.

A lethal combination of burning fury and righteous indignation overtook Dimitri as he pounded his fist on the door. That man was completely shameless! How low of him, to be fooling around with one woman just hours after flirting with another. Byleth would be devastated if she found out. How could he treat her so callously?

There was a quiet giggle before the door cracked open to reveal Sylvain, one hand holding his trousers up. “Oh, hey Di-”

“You scoundrel!”

The door crashed open, violently banging against the wall as Dimitri shoved his way into the room. He caught a glimpse of a half-naked girl, but he didn’t give her a second thought. Turning his scowl on Sylvain, he slammed the other Alpha against the wall, pinning him in place with his forearm across his chest. “How dare you do this to her!”

From her spot on the bed behind him, the girl yelled, “Hey, who do you- Wait, her? Sylvain, who is _her_?!”

Dimitri paid her no mind, raising his voice to speak over her as he continued laying into Sylvain. “Did you even think of the consequences before you ran off to go philandering? What do you have to say for yourself?”

Sylvain ignored Dimitri, looking over his shoulder at the girl instead. “Oh, she’s no one really. No one you need to worry abou-”

Dimitri’s other hand closed around Sylvain’s neck, holding his head so he couldn’t look away. “Answer me,” he growled.

One eye closed in a wince, Sylvain’s voice was hoarse and breathy as he said, “The professor was lonely. She deserves someone who will actually spend time with her, doesn’t she?”

Dimitri brought his face closer to the other Alpha’s and sneered at him. “She _deserves_ someone who won’t throw away her affections.”

“Whose affections? Sylvain!” the girl screeched.

Sylvain looked over at the bed, but his eyes snapped back to Dimitri’s as he tightened his grip on his throat. “Stay away from her,” he snarled.

“Heh, why should I? Are you jealous?” Sylvain said, his voice audibly choked.

Dimitri clenched his jaw and tightened his free hand into a fist that shook as he tried to refrain from crushing Sylvain’s good-for-nothing skull.

“You wanna duel for her?” Sylvain croaked.

“Ugh!” the girl shrieked as she stormed out of the room, clutching her shirt against her chest.

Meanwhile, Dimitri’s nostrils flared as he considered Sylvain’s proposal. He still could not pursue Byleth himself, even if he won, but at least she wouldn’t be subject to Sylvain’s capricious affections.

Yes, he should do this. To defend her honor. Because she deserved someone who would treat her with respect. Someone who wouldn’t play with her heart. Even if that someone wasn’t him, it would be someone better than Sylvain.

“I accept your challenge,” Dimitri said, releasing Sylvain’s neck and backing away. “When?”

Sylvain coughed and rubbed at his throat, Dimitri still glaring at him. “Tomorrow, after dinner,” he wheezed. “At the training grounds. Seven o’clock.”

“Very well,” Dimitri said, turning to head back towards his room. “You will regret treating her so poorly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next in Chapter 10: A kiss to the victor


	11. Chapter 10

The Blue Sea Star watched over Byleth while she waited at the training grounds, her arms crossed and foot tapping. Sylvain had insisted she meet him here for another yoga session at exactly seven o’clock, but it had been several minutes since the hour chimed. She couldn’t believe he wouldn’t show up, especially after she had agreed to come here instead of attending the faculty-knight mixer in the dining hall tonight.

At least she wasn't the only one out here in the cold.

Byleth turned her head to watch Dimitri pace back and forth on the other side of the courtyard, the flickering torchlight throwing his shadow across the stone pavers. This was one of only a handful of times in the last few weeks that she had seen him somewhere outside of the classroom. It was a relief to know that he wasn’t going to leave just because she was here, but she wished he would come over and speak to her.

His silence might be more bearable if she could actually remember what had happened on that ill-fated night, Byleth thought with a sigh. If she was doomed to suffer his resentment, then it only seemed fair that she also be able to recall the events that had led to it.

As it was, she had only vague, abstract impressions of that night: desperation and discomfort, then satisfaction and security. She still had her memories of the kisses she had stolen during the weeks before, but that wasn’t the same.

She wanted to know what it was like to have his lips on her neck. Had his teeth traced along her collarbone or perhaps further down to nip at her breasts? How did it feel to have him inside her? More specifically, how big was his-

The clock chimed quarter-past, pulling Byleth out of her runaway thoughts. Her cheeks turned pink when she realized she had been staring at Dimitri and she quickly averted her eyes. She shouldn’t even be thinking about things like that, she scolded herself. At least Sylvain would be here soon to take her mind off it.

Yes, he would come through that door any moment now.

After another minute or two, her patience was starting to run out. Where in the world was Sylvain? It was true that her mood had improved since he started inviting her to things, and she was grateful for that, but this was getting ridiculous. If he didn’t show up soon, she would-

“Sylvain didn’t invite you here to watch, did he?”

Byleth’s unbeating heart leapt into her throat as she spun around to see Dimitri standing a few steps away from her, looking rather put-out. Even with that sad frown on his face, he was still so handsome that she just gawked at him for a moment, not daring to believe her eyes or ears. It was a miracle he was talking to her after spending the last two weeks avoiding her. She wondered if this was her chance for redemption.

Then she remembered he had asked her a question. She meant to give a proper response, but what came out of her mouth was “Sylvain?”

Byleth winced internally. She had to focus on what she was saying so she didn’t make Dimitri even more upset with her. She might not get another opportunity to talk to him if she screwed this up.

“Yes, he uh... You aren’t here to watch us spar, are you?”

She shook her head. “No, Sylvain invited me here to teach me some new stretches.”

Dimitri’s brow furrowed as he looked down at her. “He did? But we were supposed to-” He stopped abruptly and glanced somewhere off to the left.

“You were waiting for him too?”

“Yes, but um…” He moved one of his hands from his lance to the back of his neck. “We- we were just going to spar. If you were supposed to meet him… I should be going.”

Byleth stiffened as a wave of panic crashed over her. No, he couldn’t leave yet! He had only just started talking to her again!

“Would you want to spar with me instead?” she blurted out.

She held her breath while Dimitri shifted from one foot to the other. “I appreciate the offer Professor, but I couldn’t impose…”

No, no, no! She had to say something to change his mind, quick!

“I promised to show you my horrible lancework!”

She barely resisted the urge to clap her hands over her mouth. Why, oh why, did she say that?! She was going to make a fool of herself!

Dimitri finally met her eye and a small smile graced his face. “So you did. I’d uh… I’d like that.”

Byleth breathed a sigh of relief as a giddy feeling bubbled up in her stomach. She might be about to embarrass herself, but at least she would be able to spend a little more time with Dimitri.

“Here, use this one. I’ll get another,” he said, holding his lance out for her to take.

Dimitri left to retrieve another practice lance while Byleth stood there, trying to recall the proper grip. The lessons with her father had been so long ago that she barely remembered them. And although she watched her students do this every day, supervising was very different from doing it yourself.

After a moment, Dimitri returned with a weapon of his own and planted his feet in a defensive position. “Alright, Professor. Don’t hold back now.”

Byleth sank into an offensive stance, hefting the lance in her hands. Compared to her sword, it was long and unwieldy, but the same principles should apply, right?

Trying to look like she knew what she was doing, she advanced towards Dimitri and aimed a wobbly stab at his chest. He deflected the blow effortlessly, sending the tip of her lance off to the side. She carried the motion through and took a step back, planning to brace herself for another strike, but the shaft of her lance smacked into the back of her knees and swept her feet out from under her.

Before she knew what had happened, Byleth was laying on the ground with the wind knocked out of her. She stared at the stars twinkling in the night sky while she caught her breath.

"Are you alright Professor?” Dimitri’s concerned face entered her vision as he leaned over her. “Did you hit your head?”

Cheeks burning, she pushed herself up to a seated position and rubbed at the painful stinging on the back of her thighs. “No, I’m fine.”

Dimitri let out a relieved sigh, followed by a chuckle. “I must say, I had no idea you were capable of failing at something so spectacularly.”

Byleth looked up shyly to see him standing before her, the corners of his lips quirked up in amusement as he reached out to pull her up. She took his hand and got to her feet smoothly, but his touch lingered for perhaps a moment longer than was necessary.

Dimitri suddenly let go of her hand to cover his mouth and clear his throat. “So, Professor, how is it that you can teach us how to use a lance when you can’t wield one yourself?”

“The Knights do the majority of the actual combat teaching,” she admitted as she dusted off the back of her shorts. “I just watch, mostly.”

“Huh. Now that I think about it, I suppose you’re right,” Dimitri said. “Well, I’d be happy to teach you the basics.”

She sent him a confused glance, wondering if this was really happening or if it was just her imagination. Was he suggesting they spend more time together?

Her look seemed to startle Dimitri. “If you like, I mean,” he hastened to add. “I don’t presume to… I- I just mean that I would hate for you to be injured because you didn’t have a sword within reach.”

Byleth couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips. Even after what had happened between them, he still worried about her. “Thank you,” she said, bending over to pick up her weapon. She straightened and held it horizontally in front of her, awaiting his instruction.

“Ah, I see what the problem is!” Dimitri set his lance down against a nearby column, then stepped up to her. “Your hands are too close together. Try putting them here and here,” he said, covering her hands with his own and gently moving them along the lance.

Byleth felt her cheeks heat up as the smell of cloves reached her nose. She turned her face downward to hide her blush.

“And then you just… Um…”

She looked at her feet while she waited from him to continue. Each inhale brought more of his scent to her nose, clouding her mind and causing her to salivate. He smelled good enough to eat, and he was so close she could practically taste him. She wanted to lean in and run her tongue across his-

No, she had to focus!

Byleth dragged herself out of her haze and looked up, intending to ask what she should do next, but a lump formed in her throat when she saw the look on Dimitri’s face.

She knew what that look meant.

It meant he was about to kiss her.

She took a shaky breath as Dimitri’s hand slid up her arm, coming to rest on her cheek. The torchlight danced in his eyes, which were locked on her lips.

She should stop this. She should, but she couldn’t bring herself to push him away.

His fingertips brushed against her neck where her pulse beat steadily beneath her skin.

Surely one more kiss wouldn’t hurt things, she thought as he closed his eyes and leaned in towards her. She stood still and waited, his lips hovering a fraction of an inch above hers.

And then the world seemed to stop spinning for a few moments as all thoughts were simply obliterated from her mind. Suddenly, the only thing that mattered was the feeling of his lips pressed against hers ever so gently. By the time she was aware of the rest of her body, her lance was on the ground and her hands were on his chest.

She sighed when Dimitri pulled back all too soon. The heat of his hand seeped into her cheek as he opened his eyes to look down into her own. Now was the time to stop this, she thought. Before things got any further out of control.

But maybe just one more kiss.

Byleth rose up on her toes as Dimitri dove back down to kiss her again, this time hungrier, needier. His hand moved to the back of her head, holding her in place for him to claim, while his other arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her against his broad chest.

A quiet moan rose from her throat as she leaned into him, knees going weak and body melting under his touch. Her head spun like all the air had left her lungs, like her blood had turned to wine, helpless against the intoxicating effect of his lips.

One more kiss, she thought as he pulled back once more, his eyes closed and his breath ghosting across her face. One more, and then she could turn back time and-

No.

There would always be one more kiss, she realized with a sinking heart. That had to be the last time.

“No,” she whispered, looking up at him and pushing against his chest gently. “Dimitri, no.”

His eyes shot open as he released her and stumbled back. “Oh Goddess, I’ve done it again,” he moaned, his face twisted into a look of pure horror.

Byleth blinked in an attempt to clear the fuzz from her brain. Again? Did he somehow remember their other kisses?

“Oh, I knew this would happen if I spoke to you!” he said, pacing back and forth rapidly. His eyes were shut and his hands tugged at his hair like he was trying to hurt himself. “Please forgive me, Professor!”

She looked at him, puzzled by his guilt. Forgive him? For what?

“I simply can’t overstate how sorry I am for what happened that night. I don’t know-”

That night? _He_ was sorry?

“-how you can stand to see me in class every day. I tried to stay away because-”

Suddenly, things clicked together in her head. “Dimitri…”

“-I can’t seem to stop myself when I’m around you.”

“Dimitri.”

“I know I ought to have better control of myself but-”

“Dimitri, listen!”

He froze, turning to face her with eyes wide open in alarm.

Byleth took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye. As plainly and straightforward as she could, she said, “Dimitri, I wanted to kiss you.”

He stared at her, seemingly processing her words. “You… wanted to?”

She smiled and sighed, relieved that he had heard her. “Yes, I wanted to.” Well, that was out in the open now. She might as well go for a full disclosure. “I still want to.”

His forehead crinkled as he looked at her in disbelief. “You’re not afraid I’ll… force myself on you again?”

“Oh, Dimitri.” She stepped up to him and put a comforting hand on his upper arm. “All this time I thought _I _had forced myself on _you_.”

“I… I see. But given what I… what we…” He blushed beet red and swallowed heavily. “Given what happened, how could you possibly think that?”

“That night is all a blur to me," she said, shaking her head. "I can barely remember it at all."

“Oh. Well, that certainly explains a lot.” He gave a single laugh, then covered his face with one hand. “Goddess, I’m so embarrassed.”

Byleth gently pulled his hand away so that she could see his eyes and sent him a smile to show that everything was alright. “Don’t be. It was a misunderstanding. I’m as much at fault as you are.”

Dimitri sighed and smiled back at her. “Thank you,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze and bringing it to his lips.

Butterfly wings fluttered in her stomach as he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, a sure sign that it was too dangerous to allow this to continue. If she didn’t stop this now, she would end up doing something she shouldn’t.

She hated to do this, but she had to.

She felt a tug at her heart as she opened her mouth.

“Dimitri, we can’t do this,” she reminded him, pulling away to put a respectable distance between them. He looked so hurt and confused that she hastened to add, “Not while I’m your professor.”

“Ah. Of course, I understand,” he said, nodding his head with a fond smile on his face and a hopeful light in his eyes. “Well then, Professor. I suppose I should bid you goodnight.”

The corners of her lips curved upward as he swept his arm in front of him and bent forward in a slight bow. “Goodnight Dimitri. I’ll see you class tomorrow.”

“Yes. Until tomorrow.”

* * *

Several tomorrows had come and gone since that night at the training grounds, and Dimitri couldn’t be happier with how things had turned out. He felt like he’d been given a second chance at life, and this time he was determined to do things properly.

His plan was this: once he had graduated, he would ascend the throne, fulfill his duty to his family, and then, if he was still alive, return to Garreg Mach to court his beloved professor. But in the meantime, he would enjoy her company as often as possible.

That was why, despite his distaste for religion, he had accepted her invitation to choir practice that afternoon.

He did his best to keep up with the music, but he kept getting distracted. Somehow, Byleth’s voice stood out to him, seeming to resonate in his ears as more beautiful, more melodious than all the others. Simply put, hearing her sing was something of a religious experience itself.

“I’m glad you came to practice with me,” Byleth said as they left the cathedral, walking side-by-side.

“As am I.” Dimitri smiled down at her as they stepped onto the bridge. The open sky, tinged pink by the setting sun, provided a stunning backdrop to the work of art that was his professor. “You really do have a lovely singing voice, Professor.”

“Thank you, Dimitri. You as well.” She glanced up at him for a moment before turning her eyes back in front of her.

Her words and her look sent a nervous, tingling feeling to his stomach. He’d better say something else to keep from dwelling on the way her praise made him feel.

“I do not mean to complain, but I must ask… Why did you suggest I accompany you? Wouldn’t Annette or Mercedes benefit from the exercise more?”

Byleth shrugged her shoulders. “They would go on their own. You will not go unless I ask it of you,” she said with a poke at his ribs.

He blushed at the implication that he would do anything she asked. Not that it was incorrect, but…

“It’s valuable for everyone to know a bit of healing magic, I think,” she continued as they reached the other side of the bridge.

Dimitri stepped ahead to hold the door open for her. “Indeed, although I doubt I could heal anything more than a scratch at this point.”

“Keep coming to choir practice and you’ll get better,” Byleth said with a smirk.

“Yes, we’ve established that, haven’t we?” Dimitri chuckled as he followed her into the reception hall, but he stopped short when he caught sight of Edelgard and Lord Arundel conversing at one of the tables. “Please excuse me for a moment, Professor.”

Byleth nodded in dismissal and Dimitri headed towards his uncle, who was speaking to Edelgard in hushed tones.

“…no great loss. Her sister always was a terrible actress,” Dimitri heard him say as he approached from behind.

“Pardon my intrusion,” Dimitri said to announce himself. “Hello Uncle, Edelgard.”

Edelgard’s scent, lavender to match her eyes, reached his nose as she nodded her acknowledgement

“Ah, Prince Dimitri. So lovely to see you,” Arundel said, standing and extending his arm for a handshake.

Dimitri took his hand and said, “May I ask what brings you here to Garreg Mach? It is quite a ways from home, is it not?”

Arundel sat back down, this time facing away from Edelgard. “A certain matter has come to my attention. I felt I must discuss it with my niece at once. Empire business.”

“Yes, it is quite rude to interrupt, Dimitri,” Edelgard said, a biting tone to her voice.

“Please accept my apologies. I simply wished to pay my respects,” Dimitri said with a nod towards his uncle. “Perhaps we shall have another opportunity to speak before you depart. Will you be visiting for long?”

“I will be… nearby. For a few days.”

“In that case-”

“Oh, Tomas! My good friend!” Arundel said as he stood again and looked over Dimitri’s shoulder.

Dimitri stepped back to allow the elderly librarian to take a seat if he wished, but he remained standing.

“Why, hello! It has been too long, Lord Arundel,” Tomas said, leaning heavily on his cane. “I trust all is well?”

“As well as could be expected, considering that-” Arundel cut himself short as he glanced back at Dimitri. “Ah, please excuse us, Nephew.”

“Of course. Good evening Uncle, Tomas, Edelgard.” Dimitri gave a quick bow, then turned to rejoin Byleth where she stood by the doors to the garden. “I am sorry to keep you waiting, Professor.”

“Uncle?” she asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Oh, yes. Have I not told you?” Dimitri motioned for them to head outside. “My mother died shortly after I was born, but my father remarried when I was nine. My stepmother was Lord Arundel’s younger sister.”

“I never knew my mother either, but having a stepmother must have been nice. What was she like?”

Dimitri paused for a moment, considering what to say. His memories of that time were pleasant enough, but he tried not to think of them too often. “Well, Lady Patricia was always kind, if a bit distant. I think she missed her daughter.”

“You had a step-sister?”

“Technically, yes. Lady Patricia was Edelgard’s birth mother.”

“Really? You and Edelgard? I never would have guessed,” Byleth said as they passed into the entrance hall. “Were you two very close?”

“Hm, not quite,” Dimitri said, shaking his head. “We hardly knew the other existed.”

“That’s a shame. At least you had Sylvain, Felix, and Ingrid, right?”

“Oh yes, Sylvain…”

Dimitri pressed his lips together as he looked down at his feet. He still hadn’t properly apologized for what happened that night in the dormitory. He knew now that Sylvain had only been trying to get him riled up, but the fact that it had worked was terribly embarrassing.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to him about something,” Dimitri said.

“Well, you’re in luck. He’s right over there.” Byleth pointed towards the bottom of the stairs where Sylvain was flirting with some village girl.

Dimitri glanced down and caught his eye just in time to see Sylvain wink at him. Relief washed over him as he realized he already had Sylvain’s forgiveness. Thank the Goddess that he had a friend like Sylvain. If it weren’t for him, he and Byleth might still not be talking to each other.

He definitely owed Sylvain a thank you for his hand in resolving their misunderstanding, but interrupting his date again probably wasn’t the best way to show his appreciation. “Oh, I don’t think now is a good time,” Dimitri said, putting a hand on Byleth’s back to steer her towards the dining hall. “Come on, why don’t we have dinner?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I have a couple announcements.  
  
First, I had someone ask for a list of which characters are Alphas/Omegas. You can find that list [here](https://imgur.com/a/hfsHBYe). I’ll leave [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_symbolism) here too, just for fun.  
  
Second, I made a twitter! I’m still figuring out how it works, but I figured I’d just throw this out there. I’m @Amlette5  
  
Third, I am still writing but, due to various things, I have to interrupt the update schedule for this fic. I will post Chapter 11 on **March 30th** and Chapter 12 on **April 20th**. Biweekly updates will resume after that.  
  
Up next in Chapter 11: A midnight visitor


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the wait for this chapter. Thank you for your patience!

Despite the recent string of clear, sunny days, the weather turned sour as the Red Wolf Moon drew to a close. It had begun to drizzle that evening during the staff meeting and now the rain beat a melody against Byleth’s window as she readied for bed.

While she undressed, she considered who she should ask to represent the Blue Lions in the upcoming White Heron Cup.

Annette would be eager to participate although she was notoriously clumsy, Byleth thought as she slipped out of her tights. Sylvain would probably do well, but it was more than likely that he would get disqualified for flirting with the judges. And Flayn had seemed troubled lately, so Byleth shouldn’t put any unnecessary stress on her.

Other than those three, who else would be interested?

She doubted that Dedue or Ingrid would be very enthusiastic. Felix would outright refuse. Ashe or Mercedes might be willing, although they probably didn’t have much experience with dancing.

But Dimitri was a prince who grew up in a palace, Byleth thought as she pulled on her sleepwear. She would bet that he’d been dancing since he was a child. Yes, he’d be perfect, so charming and confident. She could just picture him twirling around the dance floor with a sparkle of joy in his eyes.

Byleth crawled into bed and laid her head on the pillow, imagining herself dancing in Dimitri’s arms as the steady rhythm of the rain lulled her to sleep.

* * *

Sometime in the middle of the night, there was a knock on the door. Byleth sat up and rubbed at her eyes groggily. Who could that be?

She pulled a heavy robe on over her cotton tank top and shorts as the knock came again, more urgently this time. Her hand hovering above the knob, she whispered through the door. “Who’s there?”

“Professor, it’s me,” came Dimitri’s voice. The door swung inward to reveal none other than the prince himself, standing there wearing the airy, flowing robes of a dancer. “May I come in?”

Byleth bit her lip as she stuck her head outside to look around. Seeing no one, she nodded and motioned for him to enter, then shut the door. But before she could turn around, he stepped up behind her and caged her in his arms, one wrapped around her waist, the other across her chest. “Dimitri, what are you-”

“Oh Professor,” he moaned, burying his nose into the crook of her neck. “You must know what you do to me, tempting me so.”

Heat bloomed on her cheeks as something long and hard pressed into her from behind. It was improper, perhaps dangerous even, to let him say and do such things, but she didn’t want to pull away. His arms holding her tightly made it easy to give only a nominal protest.

“Dimitri, we can’t,” she said weakly, while also tilting her head away to allow him better access. “It’s wrong, and we’ll- Ah!” She gasped when his teeth scraped along her shoulder. “…get in trouble.”

“Does it matter?” he asked, his husky voice sending a shiver down her spine. He pressed a kiss to the side of her throat while his fingertips trailed across her collarbone. “As long as you’re mine, nothing else is important. Don’t you agree, Professor?”

Byleth didn’t know what to say. She knew this was wrong, but she would be lying if she said no. She wanted him more than she had ever wanted anything before. She tried to tell him her dilemma, but his scent and his soft touches had her head so fogged up that the only sound she could make was, “Dimitri...”

“Tell me you feel the same way,” he said, pushing her robe and the strap of her tank top down her arm. She sighed and tilted her head back onto his shoulder as he palmed her bare breast. His other hand slid down from her stomach, fingers just barely dipping beneath the waistband of her shorts. “Please, I beg of you,” he whispered into her ear.

Acutely aware of the heavy emptiness between her legs, she gave in. “Yes, Dimitri.”

“Then why wait?” His fingernails dug into her hips as he spun her around and surged forward, pinning her between his body and the door, before his lips crashed into hers in a bruising kiss.

Byleth moaned as she ran her fingers through his downy-soft hair, pulling him closer. This kiss wasn’t enough to sate her desire. She needed to touch him, taste him, feel his heat against her skin.

She was about to pull away to disrobe when his tongue brushed daringly against her lips, demanding that she open for him.

Caught by surprise, she froze for a moment as she realized that this behavior was quite unlike anything she’d seen of Dimitri before. In all the times they’d kissed, he’d never once been so… dominant.

She decided she liked it.

Dimitri nipped at her lip impatiently, a gentle reprimand for not obeying right away.

Byleth whimpered in response and parted her lips immediately. His tongue thrust into her, probing and tasting, while she relished in his attentions, closing her eyes and allowing him to consume her completely.

The next thing she knew, she was on the bed with Dimitri’s warmth and comfortable weight on top of her. She ran her hands over the smooth skin of his back while he nuzzled into her neck and began to lick her, sparking a burning pleasure that traveled down to her center. She wrapped her legs around him and used her heels to pull him closer so she could grind herself against him.

Lost in sensation, absent-minded questions floated around in her head. Was this the same as last time? Why did his tongue feel so good? What could she do to ensure this never stopped?

The moment that thought crossed her mind, Dimitri abandoned her neck, pulling away to put distance between them.

Byleth whined at the loss of contact while his gaze roamed over her body. “Goddess, look at you,” he breathed, the back of his fingers stroking the side of her breast. “So beautiful.”

Breathless and wanting, she arched up towards him, eager for more of his touches, but she stilled when his eyes flicked up to meet her own. There was something wild there, something terrifying in his intensity when he asked, “You’re mine, aren’t you Professor?”

“Yes, I’m yours."

The words fell from her lips without her willing them to do so, but as soon as she spoke, she was seized by a sudden pang of anxiety. If they were discovered, she was certain that they wouldn't be able to escape punishment a second time. "Dimitri, I'm not sure we should-"

“Close your eyes, Professor. I want to make you feel good,” he whispered. His hands skimmed soothingly over her shoulders and along her arms, coming to rest on her wrists. He placed featherlight kisses across her stomach as he scooted down the bed.

Byleth sighed and tried to let go of her fears, but she found she couldn’t relax. There was something nagging at the back of her mind, a persistent prickle that made it feel like they were being watched. She tried to dismiss it, but she couldn’t shake the worry that someone would know she had willingly given herself to Dimitri. She wanted this, more than anything, but would her students be able to forgive her again? She could just imagine what they would say when-

“You’re disgusting.”

Byleth’s eyes popped open to see Felix standing at her bedside, looking at her with a disapproving sneer on his face.

Ashe was there too, frowning and shaking his head sadly. “How could you, Professor?”

Confused, she tried to cover her chest, but Dimitri held her hands to the bed. There was the clank of heavy armor as she struggled to free herself. She was about to ask why he wouldn’t let her go, when she heard that horrible, distorted voice that chilled her to the bone.

“_Professor_.”

Fear and dread tangled in her gut as she turned her head to see not Dimitri, but the gruesome mask of the Death Knight looming above her. His armored hand clamped down on her shoulder and she drew a breath to scream, but she choked on the scent on lavender. Coughing, she tried to buck her hips and throw him off her, but her body wouldn’t respond to her commands.

Unable to move, she watched helplessly as those terrible fangs came closer and closer to her lips. She shut her eyes and whimpered when she realized he was going to kiss her. A painful tightness grew in her chest as she thought desperately that she had to get away. Somehow she knew that if he kissed her she would-

* * *

Byleth gasped and sat up, bringing a hand to her chest as the pain faded. Feeling rattled, she closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to calm herself. A dream. It was only a-

“Ah, Professor. I was just about to wake you.”

Byleth’s head snapped up as the corrupted voice from her dream caused her heart to leap up into her throat. Frantically searching for the Death Knight’s burning eyes, her gaze landed instead on a shadow standing in the corner of the room by the door.

She scrambled for the dagger she kept under her pillow and moved into a crouch on top of the mattress, prepared to defend herself. “Who are you? Reveal yourself.”

The shadow stepped into the faint bit of moonlight that shone through her window, revealing a dark cloak, a masked helmet, and feather-studded armor.

“I am the Flame Emperor.” His distorted voice, so similar to the Death Knight’s, caused her to tighten her hold on the dagger.

“What do you want?” Byleth asked as her eyes scanned over his form, looking for weapons. He didn’t appear to be armed but there were always fists and magic.

“I must speak with you.”

Good. That twisted voice curdled her stomach, but if they were talking, they weren’t fighting. “About what?”

“About the future of Fodlan.”

“Go on, I’m listening,” she said. Meanwhile, her eyes darted around the room, trying to determine the best course of action in case things did turn violent.

“This world is run by corrupt hypocrites that care nothing for anyone except themselves.” The Flame Emperor's armor clanked as he took a heavy step towards the bed.

Byleth glanced at her wardrobe where the Sword of the Creator rested inside. Would she be able to grab it before he could reach her?

“For too long have they manipulated the common people, using them for their own gain, while offering nothing but false hope in return.” Another step.

If not, could she turn back time and wake herself up earlier?

“The time has finally come to free Fodlan from their tyranny.”

Tension pulled her muscles tight as she realized she was running out of options.

“It is time to end the reign of Archbishop Rhea.”

_I don’t trust Lady Rhea_.

Byleth’s thoughts ground to a halt as her father’s voice ran through her head. She looked up at the Flame Emperor’s hidden face, not quite believing what he had just said.

“Ah, I see that caught your attention. Do you wish to know her sins?”

She eyed him carefully, trying to decide whether it was worth hearing him out or not. If her father thought there was something suspicious about Rhea, it wouldn’t hurt to know what this Flame Emperor person thought was going on. She nodded once.

“Very well,” he said, clasping his hands together behind his back. “Since the beginning of the modern age, the Church of Seiros has claimed neutrality in the political dealings of Fodlan. The truth is that they have been anything but. Why is it, do you think, that Garreg Mach lies at the center of Fodlan, where the territories of the Empire, Kingdom, and Alliance meet?”

Byleth’s brow furrowed as she considered the implications of the Flame Emperor’s words. She knew that the church had mediated conflicts between the nations several centuries ago, including negotiating their borders, but Garreg Mach was almost one thousand years old. It could just be a coincidence.

“It is because this position gives the church the ability to interfere in the affairs of the nations,” he continued after a moment. “More specifically, the Archbishop’s role as the arbiter of conflict gives her a reason to cause instability, so that she may reinforce her own authority. You have seen this first-hand, haven’t you Professor?”

Recalling the events following the assault on the Holy Mausoleum, Byleth frowned. It had been disturbing how quickly Rhea passed judgement on the Western Church, but surely he didn’t mean… “You think Lady Rhea was behind Lonato’s rebellion?”

The Flame Emperor shook his head. “I am merely suggesting that perhaps the Western Church was not at fault. Placing the blame on a convenient scapegoat would allow Rhea to assert some semblance of control over the situation, would it not?”

The implication that the crusade to subdue the Western Church had resulted in the slaughter of innocents made Byleth feel sick to her stomach, but she nodded reluctantly.

“That is but one example of her gross misuse of power. There have been countless others over the years, but perhaps the most heinous is built into the doctrine of the church itself.”

Byleth stiffened as the Flame Emperor took another step towards the bed, now barely outside her reach.

“I am referring to the belief that a person’s worth is predestined, decided at their birth by whether they possess a crest or not. That their value, their potential, is determined by factors outside their control, rather than their own deeds and choices. Is that not inherently tragic, Professor?”

She felt a pang in her chest when she realized that that belief had cost Sylvain a brother. Allowed Mercedes to be treated like she was expendable. Would force Ingrid to marry, despite her desire to become a knight.

“Her foul belief system must be torn asunder so that true wisdom may finally prevail. I will not stop until I have created a world where a person’s value is determined by their own volition, not their birthright or their crest.” He took a final step towards the bed and held out his hand to her. “And I want you to join me.”

Byleth swallowed nervously, uncertain how to respond. A world that rewarded people for their personal merits sounded fairer than giving someone power simply because they were lucky enough to have inherited it, but none of that had anything to do with whatever Rhea had done to her as a baby.

Or did it?

“Why me?” she asked, still wielding the dagger.

The Flame Emperor let his hand fall to his side. “Reforging this world will not be an easy task. The church has great influence over the nobles, and the common people will be reluctant to give up their misguided beliefs. But I can avoid much needless death and destruction if I have the Sword of the Creator on my side.”

That wasn’t the answer she had been hoping for, but Byleth was still tempted. His goal seemed admirable, although the possibility existed that he just wanted the sword and would dispose of her once he had it. She needed to know she could trust him. “Show me your face.”

“I am afraid I cannot do that,” he said, shaking his head. “Not yet, at least. There is still something I must accomplish before I reveal myself.”

She braced for an incoming attack. “Then I must decline.”

“Think wisely, Professor,” the Flame Emperor said. “There are those that wish you dead. Their powers are limited here at the monastery, but not so elsewhere in this world. Join me and I can protect you.” He held out his hand again.

Byleth looked at it with suspicion. “I won’t pledge my sword to a stranger.”

“Hm. Pity, though not unexpected,” the Flame Emperor said, turning his back to her. “Better the devil you know, I suppose. But I will warn you, Professor.” He looked over his shoulder to where she still crouched on the bed. “Trust no one.”

Byleth winced and raised her arms to shield herself as a sudden flash of purple light seared spots into her vision. When she opened her eyes, the Flame Emperor was gone.

She sprang out of bed, threw the door open, and burst out of her room.

Goosebumps rose on her skin as she surveyed the courtyard. The rain had stopped, but a dense fog concealed anything further than a few feet away. There was no sign of movement.

Then a noise came from her left and she spun around, dagger raised and ready to strike.

A cat was sharpening its claws on a nearby barrel.

She sighed and lowered her dagger, hanging her head as she returned to her room.

* * *

Byleth tossed and turned for the rest of the night, anxiety gnawing on her mind. She had denied the Flame Emperor’s invitation to join him, but now she was faced with the question of whether to inform Lady Rhea that he had approached her.

Given what she knew of her father’s suspicions, it did seem plausible that Rhea had some secret, underhanded motive. She may have even misused the power of the church as suggested, but the Flame Emperor wasn’t entirely credible himself.

It was clear that he was unhappy with the current power structure of Fodlan, but were his goals really what he claimed? How could he expect her to trust him when he wouldn’t reveal his identity? What did he have to hide?

Unable to answer those questions on her own, she rose at first light to seek her father’s advice.

She headed to the dining hall, hoping to catch him before he began his duties, only to discover that he had been called away on an urgent mission. The knight she spoke to didn’t know how long he would be gone, so she might as well eat breakfast while she waited for him to return.

Byleth grabbed herself a tray, then sat down and picked up her spoon, but she only poked at her porridge. She didn’t feel very hungry with the weight of indecision still heavy in her stomach.

Sipping her tea slowly, she tried to think things through from the beginning, just in case she had overlooked some clue that would help her decide whether she should tell Lady Rhea what had happened.

First, she had been asleep when the Flame Emperor entered her room. Her door hadn’t been disturbed, so he had probably come in the same way that he left. The warp spell didn’t have a very long range, so he must have already been somewhere inside the monastery.

Suspicious, her eyes scanned over the monks and knights in the dining hall. The Flame Emperor’s voice was so distorted that he could be any of them and she wouldn’t be able to tell. It was hard to believe that someone who worked for the church would have such strong feelings against Rhea, but stranger things had happened.

Byleth’s eyes landed on the door to the terrace as it creaked open to admit Dorothea and Petra, laughing and smiling as they walked into the dining hall together.

The sight sent a chill down her spine.

Suddenly, she realized that if the Flame Emperor could enter _her_ room undetected, he could just as easily appear in any of the _other_ rooms in the dormitory. If he decided to start attacking the students…

She slammed her teacup down on the table. Her mind spinning, she quickly came to the conclusion that no matter what Rhea’s motives were, the Flame Emperor posed a serious threat to her students. She wouldn’t able to live with herself if one of them were injured, or worse, died because she had let this go unreported.

She resolved that as soon as she was done with breakfast, she would go to Seteth and Lady Rhea and tell them what had happened.

Relieved to have reached a decision, she hastily spooned her porridge into her mouth. She was just scraping the bottom of the bowl when she heard someone approach from behind.

“Big appetite, Professor?”

Byleth choked on what she had been trying to swallow as Dimitri’s voice brought to mind the image of him dressed in the dancer’s costume.

“Ah, my apologies. I shouldn’t tease,” Dimitri said while she tried to clear her throat. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” she managed to say. “You just surprised me, is all.” She drained the last of her tea, then twisted around to see him standing there carrying a tray with his own breakfast resting on top of it.

“Do you mind if I join you?” he asked, gesturing at the seat next to her.

“Sorry, I was just about to leave,” Byleth said as she stood up from the table. “I have something I need to do before class, but we can have dinner together tonight, if you’re not busy.”

Dimitri’s smile stirred up the butterflies in her stomach. “That would be lovely. I’m looking forward to it already.”

“Me too,” Byleth said, smiling back at him. “Um, but before I go... I wondered if I could ask something of you.”

“What is it, Professor?” he asked eagerly. “You know I’m always happy to assist with whatever you can think of.”

“Would you be willing to represent the Blue Lions in the White Heron Cup? It’s a dance competition several weeks from now.”

Dimitri visibly paled. “A- A dance competition?” he sputtered. “Professor, I- I don’t know- Uh, I’m not really- That is, I- Is this a joke?” He looked at her like he was hoping she would say anything but ‘no.’

She only gazed at him with pleading eyes, willing him to say ‘yes.’ She was certain that he was their best hope of winning.

After another long moment, Dimitri sighed and hung his head. “Very well. If it is what you desire, I will of course comply. But know that you have damned us all.”

Byleth sent him a beaming smile. “Thank you, Dimitri. I’m sure you’ll do great.” She gave him a pat on the arm as she left the dining hall, heading upstairs to request an audience with the Archbishop and her advisor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder that Chapter 12 will be posted on **April 20th**. 
> 
> Up next in Chapter 12: Blue skies and a battle


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I apologize for the wait and thanks for your patience!
> 
> **Content warning for Chapter 12:** Graphic violence

By the time Byleth finished recounting her conversation with the Flame Emperor, Lady Rhea and Seteth both looked very concerned.

“Thank you for sharing this with me,” Rhea said, a solemn frown on her face. “It is troubling to know that there are yet more enemies in our midst.”

“Hopefully we will apprehend this traitor sooner rather than later,” Seteth said confidently. “Until then, tell the students to take standard safety precautions.”

Byleth doubted that keeping the doors locked would help, but she nodded in understanding.

“In the meantime, there is something I have been wanting to ask you, Professor,” Rhea said. “Have you noticed any other oddities in the weeks since your presentation? Strange voices, perhaps?”

Byleth tensed at the unexpected question. She hadn’t planned on revealing her connection to Sothis when she came to the audience chamber that morning.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. It wasn’t exactly a lie since the last she had heard from Sothis was that weird dream just _before_ she presented.

“Hm.” Rhea nodded stiffly. “Well, please know that you can come to me with anything that-”

Rhea was interrupted when the doors to the hallway flew open, crashing against the wall with a resonant bang. Surprised, Byleth spun around to see her father barging into the audience chamber.

All of a sudden, she found herself desperately hoping that she hadn’t just made a horrible mistake. If she had only waited a little longer, she could have spoken to her father about the Flame Emperor before coming to Rhea. She supposed she could always turn back time, but maybe there was something to be learned by letting this play out first.

Jeralt’s steps slowed as he approached the three of them. “Lady Rhea, I’m sorry to interrupt, but it’s urgent,” he said, giving Byleth a nod when he caught sight of her.

“Speak then, Jeralt.”

“It’s about a report we received early this morning. Apparently, there’s been an incident not far from here, in Ludgate Village.”

Ludgate Village… Wasn’t that where her father had hidden her away as a baby?

“What sort of incident?” Rhea asked.

“The villagers said someone showed up in the middle of the night and told them to leave town or they’d regret it. They said he wore a mask and his voice sounded funny. Called himself ‘the Flame Emperor’ or something.”

Rhea met Byleth’s eye for just a moment before turning back to Jeralt. “Go on.”

“Naturally, we went to take a look around, but we couldn’t find anyone matching that description,” he said with a shrug. “Anyway, whoever he was, he got the villagers all worked up into a panic. We’ve had a hell of a time trying to keep order, and that was before people started suddenly getting sick.”

Seteth put a hand to his chin and looked down in thought. “A strange sickness… Should we send Manuela to treat those who have fallen ill?”

“I’m not sure they’d be receptive to treatment,” Jeralt said, shaking his head. “Some of the affected villagers have turned violent.”

Rhea exchanged a loaded glance with Seteth, who began to say “What do you-”

“Listen, there’s no time,” Jeralt cut in. “Things were touch-and-go when I left, and I’ve been gone too long already. I need backup to keep the situation under control.”

“Understood,” Rhea said decisively. “Professor, your class will accompany Jeralt as his reinforcements.”

Seteth looked at her, flabbergasted. “Rhea, you can’t possibly- You know what this sounds like, don’t you? If Flayn were to be-”

Rhea held up a hand to silence him. “Flayn will remain at the monastery. The rest of you, go quickly and be on your guard,” she said, dismissing them with a curt nod.

The Sword of the Creator swung at Byleth’s hip as she turned to leave, but she only took a few steps before she heard something most unsettling.

“May the Goddess Sothis protect you,” Rhea said, just loud enough to reach Byleth’s ears.

She froze mid-stride, taking a sharp breath and eyes widening in shock. Did she just say ‘the Goddess _Sothis_?!’

Confused, Byleth looked back over her shoulder to see Rhea smiling pleasantly at her. What in the… Why did the voice in her head have the same name as the Goddess? Did that mean she was-

“Come on, kid! We gotta go!” 

At the sound of Jeralt’s voice, Byleth shot Rhea one last glance, then hurriedly followed her father out of the audience chamber.

* * *

A cacophony of screams and deranged laughter greeted the Blue Lions when they arrived at the base of the hill on which Ludgate Village was built. Standing at the edge of the forest, the scent of blood and burnt flesh filled the air as Byleth surveyed the gruesome scene before them. 

Scattered on the ground were the mangled bodies of both church soldiers and civilians. Their entrails spilled out into the mud, swimming in the blood and bile that leached out of the corpses. It was unclear whether they had died fighting or trying to flee. Regardless, the image was enough to make her stomach heave.

“What… what happened here?” Ashe asked.

“I dunno, it wasn’t like this when I left,” Jeralt said, urging his horse forward cautiously. “You kids wait here. I’ll go see what’s going on.”

Byleth nodded and drew her sword, motioning for her students to do the same, then turned her eyes on what was left of the village.

It hadn’t been very big to begin with, maybe twenty buildings or so, but only a few were left standing. The closest structure, some thirty yards away, was reduced to a pile of burning rubble. Further up the slope, the rest of the town was similarly aflame, sending thick columns of smoke up into the clear blue sky.

Byleth peered out from behind a tree to watch for any sort of movement. She held very still while she scanned the perimeter of the village, but she instinctively recoiled when a gust of wind brought a nauseating scent to her nose.

Behind her, Sylvain’s horse whinnied and tossed its head. “Ugh, what’s that smell? It’s disgusting,” he said, trying to calm his mount.

Felix scoffed at him. “After all these battles, you still don’t know what death smells like?”

Byleth was familiar with scent of death, but she didn’t think she had ever smelled anything quite like this before. It was putrid and bitter, fetid and sulfurous, a miasma overlaid on top of the usual stink of battlefield carrion.

“No, it’s… it’s different,” Ingrid said from atop her pegasus.

Mercedes covered the lower half of her face with her shawl. “It’s quite vile, isn’t it?”

“What are you guys talking about?” Annette said, scrunching up her nose. “I don’t smell anything weird.”

Dedue shook his head and said, “Me either.”

"Hm, you do not smell it, Dedue?" Dimitri grit his teeth and clenched his fists at his side. His voice was strained and much lower than usual as he said, “That stench... It’s the same as it was four years ago, in Duscur.”

At that moment, Jeralt emerged from behind a flaming building, cantering towards them. He tugged on the reins sharply, pulling his horse to a stop a few feet from the tree line. “It’s a nightmare in there!” he said to Byleth. “From the look of it, the villagers have gone mad and started attacking each other.”

“Can they not be reasoned with?” Ashe asked.

“Maybe, but right now we ought to concentrate on finding anyone who isn’t insane and getting them out of there.” Jeralt looked at the nearest corpse and sighed. “Damn it, we could really use those soldiers right now. Guess I’ll follow your lead, Byleth.”

She nodded, then turned around to address her students. “Comb the village. Save who you can. Subdue who you must. Meet back here when you’re done.”

“Well, no point in waiting around. Let’s go save the day,” Sylvain said, spurring his horse towards the west side of the village.

“Idiot,” Felix said. He took off after Sylvain, followed by Annette.

Taking a quick scan of the remaining students, Byleth noted that Dimitri seemed unwell; he had a hand to his head and his eyes were shut tight. She had better keep him close. “Dedue, Ingrid, Ashe, take the east side. Mercedes, Dimitri, with my father and I.”

Orders given, Byleth began to jog straight towards the nearest building, but she only made it halfway across the corpse-littered ground before she heard a pained noise, followed by a splash. She whirled around to see Dimitri kneeling in the mud and pressing the heel of his hand against his eye. “Dimitri, are you okay?”

He grunted and got to his feet stiffly, still holding his head. “Don’t worry about me, I’m alright.” He tried to follow after her, but he lost his balance and staggered backwards for a step.

“Are you sure you’re-”

“Yes, I’m fine. Go, save the villagers.” He winced in pain and she looked at him skeptically. “Just… leave me! Go, now!”

Reluctantly, Byleth hurried to catch up to her father and Mercedes, who were just inside the town. They picked their way through the debris as they headed up the incline, looking for anyone they might be able to save.

“Ah, I see someone! There!” Mercedes said, pointing at a figure emerging from behind a pile of ash-charred beams. He held his sword loosely, shuffling towards them with his chin resting on his chest. His face was hidden, but as he came closer, Byleth recognized the uniform of the Knights of Seiros.

“Ho there, soldier!” Jeralt called out.

Suddenly, the knight’s head snapped up, revealing empty eyes and a crazed grin on his face. Laughing maniacally, he raised his sword and charged towards them.

That awful stench intensified as he neared their party. Byleth held her breath and braced for battle, only for her father to ride past her and skewer the man on his lance. Held at arm’s length, the soldier continued to swing his sword at Jeralt’s horse until Mercedes finished him off with a flash of divine light.

Jeralt shook the body to the ground and pulled his weapon free with a sorrowful look on his face. “Poor kid. He was only-”

Just then, a sharp scream came from up ahead, spurring Byleth to action.

Leaping over a fallen tree, she raced uphill until she came to the next street corner. Flanked by Jeralt and Mercedes, Byleth raised a hand to shield her face from the heat of the fire as she peered around the burning remains of what had once been a tavern.

Before her was a mob of a dozen or so women and children clawing at something in the middle of the road. She couldn’t quite tell, but it looked like there was someone struggling against them. Perhaps someone that could be saved.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Byleth ran ahead and swiped at the nearest body. That putrid stink filled her lungs as the Sword of the Creator sliced the woman neatly in two. Mercedes’s spell eliminated another villager while one of Jeralt’s javelins planted itself in the neck of a third.

The crowd now thinned, Byleth could see a man hunched over with his arms held protectively above his head. Teeth and ragged fingernails shredded her forearms as she stuck her hand into the fray. Silently cursing herself for not wearing her vambraces, she pulled the man out of the mob and shoved him behind her.

“Mercedes, get him out of here!” she yelled as the swarm turned their attention on her instead.

Reasserting her grip on her sword, she swiped at the villager on her left then stabbed the one on the right, but she felt something grab her around the knees. She glanced down just in time to watch a feral child sink its teeth into her thigh.

Distracted and off balance, Byleth was easily pushed down into the ditch on the side of the street. She managed to hold on to her sword, but with her back just inches from the burning tavern, she could not escape the rabid villagers that now descended on her.

The heat of the fire blistered her skin and singed her hair as the swarm piled up on top of her. Between the pressure on her chest and that foul, choking odor, Byleth felt like she was drowning. Instinctively, she kicked and elbowed whatever she could reach, fighting for a breath of air.

Suddenly, the weight on top of her began to lessen. Showers of blood trickled down through the writhing mass of bodies as Jeralt’s lance scooped into the crowd over and over again, spearing the villagers and throwing them out of the ditch.

Finally free to move once more, Byleth drew the dagger at her belt and stabbed the last woman in the throat. She grunted and pushed the corpse off her legs, then climbed back onto the road. Wiping sweat-damp hair out of her eyes, she looked up at her father as she caught her breath.

“Alright?” he asked her.

“Yeah, you?”

“Fine.”

She nodded and turned to run ahead to the next intersection. The road they were on ended, but to the right were the stairs that led to the central plaza of the village. With no buildings and a paved floor, it was likely relatively safe compared to the rest of the town. Perhaps some of the sane villagers had taken shelter there.

Byleth had just put her foot on the first step when the slow clip clop of a second set of horse hooves reached her ears. Dread turned her stomach sour as she spun around to look down the street behind her.

Through the crackling flames emerged the shadow of an armored knight, seated atop a midnight horse. The strange metal of the scythe he carried seemed to glow in the firelight and two burning, unblinking eyes stared out of a familiar skull-like helmet. In that horrible, corrupted voice he said, “You are not supposed to be here.”

Byleth felt her confidence wither. She wasn’t sure she could face the Death Knight at her best, let alone battered as she was. She looked back at the top of the stairs. Maybe she could outrun him and save whoever was in the plaza.

“Go on, kid. I’ll handle this,” Jeralt said, glancing over his shoulder as his horse stepped between her and the Death Knight.

“Ah, a worthy opponent. Let us see which of us is stronger, Jeralt the Blade Breaker.” Without any further warning, the Death Knight sent his horse galloping towards them.

Byleth held her breath as Jeralt rode out to meet him. One hand on the reins, he couched his lance beneath his arm and leaned forward, bracing himself for the impact.

She flinched at the metallic screech when they collided, but both men stayed in the saddle.

Byleth exhaled in relief as Jeralt turned his horse around to prepare for another charge, seemingly unharmed. She was hesitant to leave him alone with the Death Knight, but surely her father was more skilled than that creature. And even if the worst were to happen, she would be nearby and could always turn back time.

She turned away and ran up the stairs.

Surveying the plaza, Byleth noted that although it was quite large for a town this size, the only other entrance was directly across from her. One edge dug in to the side of the hill, cut off by a wall of stone built to hold the soil in place, while the other offered a view overlooking the lower part of the village and the forest beyond.

It was there, through the smoke that filled the air, that Byleth saw a figure standing with its back to her. She squinted and took a step closer. It looked like they were wearing the same robes as the monks in the monastery. She broke into a run.

Growing nearer, she realized that the figure was none other than Tomas, the librarian. “Tomas, what are you doing here?” she yelled, putting a hand on his shoulder to pull him back from the ledge. It wasn’t much of a fall, but there was no railing to catch someone who took an unlucky step.

“Ah, Professor. What a pleasant surprise,” Tomas said, turning to face her.

“You have to get out here, Tomas! It’s not safe!”

Tomas made no motion to move. He only grinned at her and said, “I’m not Tomas.”

Byleth stood transfixed as Tomas’s form seemed to ripple before her eyes. Suddenly, his kindly face was replaced by one even more wizened, with long gray hair hanging down past gaunt, ashen cheeks. But perhaps the most disturbing change was the appearance of a tattoo around his eye, so similar to the one that Monica’s doppelganger had borne.

Before she had a chance to react, ‘Tomas’ raised his hands and sent an orb of dark magic straight into her chest at point-blank range. She let out a scream as the force of the blast blew her to the other side of the plaza, where she collided with the stone wall. There was a blinding pain at the back of her head, and then the world dissolved into darkness.

* * *

_Kill them!  
Tear them apart!  
Avenge-_

“Dimitri, are you okay?”

Kneeling in the mud, Dimitri barely heard Byleth over the screaming in his head, but the voices faded a bit as he tried to focus on the task at hand. There were people - living, innocent people - that needed help.

He grunted and stood up stiffly, still holding a hand to his temple. “Don’t worry about me, I’m alright.” He tried to follow after Byleth, but a spike of pain behind his eyes sent him staggering backwards.

“Are you sure you’re-”

“Yes, I’m fine. Go, save the villagers.” He winced as the chorus of voices began again.

_Avenge us!  
Those who killed us…  
Destroy them all!_

Dimitri fought to suppress the gut-wrenching anguish welling up inside him. It always gave way to that uncontrollable rage that turned him into nothing more than a beast. He couldn’t let her see him like that. “Just… leave me! Go, now!”

Praying that Byleth had listened to him, Dimitri clenched his eyes shut as the voices became too loud to bear and memories from that awful day flashed behind his eyelids. His father’s head on the ground, eyes staring sightlessly. The soldiers, burning. The horses, screaming. The acrid odor of charred flesh and that other, horrible stench that hung in the air. It was the scent of the mob that had attacked their carriage.

_Those people…  
With our blood on their hands…  
Rip their heads from their shoulders!  
It is the least you can do for us!_

Yes, those bastards that caused such pain and suffering... Not just for him, but for his father, his stepmother, Glenn, too many good soldiers, and all of Duscur… They were here, and he would make them pay.

His resolve firmly in place, Dimitri tried again to move forward. He had just taken the first step towards the chaos when a strange voice came from behind him.

“I advise you not to interfere.”

Dimitri spun around and raised his lance as an imposing figure, cloaked in red and black, emerged from the trees where the Blue Lions had just stood. It was not difficult to deduce their identity. "So… You must be the Flame Emperor. Are you the one responsible for this madness?”

The figure shook his head and said, “I had nothing to do with this.”

“Liar!” Enraged, Dimitri stomped his foot in the mud and sliced the air with the tip of his lance. “You knew this was going to happen! So tell me, Flame Emperor, what exactly is going on here?”

“Some associates of mine are conducting an… unfortunate experiment,” he said, taking several steps across the blood-soaked ground.

“Your associates? If you object, why don’t you stop them?”

“It is revolting, what they are doing,” the Flame Emperor said, “but it is a necessary evil.”

Dimitri’s lip curled up in a sneer. “Only a monster with no concept of justice would say such a thing.”

“Tsk. A monster, am I? Maybe so, but someone must put an end to this cycle of the strong trampling the weak.”

“_End _it?! If you cannot see that your actions here will only cause more pain and suffering, then I cannot allow you to continue to breathe! Prepare yourself, Flame Emperor!” Gritting his teeth, Dimitri tightened his grip on his lance and charged through the mud.

When the point of Dimitri’s spear was just inches away from the Flame Emperor’s monstrous heart, he suddenly vanished in a flash of purple light. Dimitri got a whiff of lavender as he stumbled through the space that had been occupied only moments before, but that detail was quickly forgotten.

He let out a growl as he spun around, looking for wherever the Flame Emperor might have gone. A large shadow at the edge of the village caught his eye and he rushed towards it. He raised his lance to strike, only to hear a high-pitched scream come from his quarry.

“Dimitri, it’s me!” Mercedes said, her hands raised in front of her defensively. A battered-looking man cowered behind her.

Dimitri’s brow furrowed in frustration. That wasn’t who he was after.

“What’s wrong, Dimitri? You look-”

“Move!” Dimitri shoved Mercedes and the villager off to the side as he tore down the street, searching for that rat. He was here someplace, hiding. And his ‘associates,’ too. He knew it. They had to be!

Cinders flew through the air when Dimitri kicked down the door of what had once been a tavern. The smoke stung his eyes, but he forced himself to keep them open long enough to be sure the Flame Emperor was not inside. He would not allow such a small thing as pain to stand in the way of his revenge.

Finding no sign of his target, Dimitri rounded the corner. Piled high in the middle of the road were the bodies of women and children, but the clash of steel coming from beyond pulled his eyes away from the gruesome sight.

Drawn by the sounds of battle, he sprinted to the crossroads ahead. Partway down the street to the left, Captain Jeralt was locked in a vicious duel with a knight that wore dark armor and a horned helmet.

Dimitri grinned. An ‘associate.’ He had found one.

He was about to jump in and unleash his wrath on the knight when suddenly a wordless scream came from the top of the stairs behind him.

“Byleth!” Jeralt yelled. Abandoning the duel, he charged headlong towards the stairs, whipping the reins as he rode past the Death Knight.

In his desperation, he made an easy target.

With one swing of his scythe, the Death Knight cut clean through Jeralt’s neck. His head fell to the ground and his body went limp, sliding out of the saddle as his panicked horse ran off down the street.

Dimitri flinched as the image woke the vengeful voices of his friends and family.

_Rip him to shreds!  
Destroy him!  
Avenge-_

And then he heard a new voice, louder and clearer than the rest.

_Protect her!_

In shock, Dimitri gawked at Jeralt’s severed head. His glassy eyes stared towards the sky and his mouth hung open slightly, blood draining from his neck. There was no way he possibly could have said-

_What are you waiting for, kid? She needs you!_

Not willing to risk another moment’s delay, Dimitri turned his back on the Death Knight and rushed up the stairs.

He came to the top to see Byleth slumped over at the feet of a strange-looking man and he felt some visceral instinct start to well up inside of him.

“Get away from her!” Dimitri roared, hefting his lance over his shoulder and hurling it across the plaza.

It sailed harmlessly over the man’s head as he bent down to yank the Sword of the Creator out of Byleth’s limp hand. A wicked smile came over his face as he held it up to examine it.

Completely forgetting the blade at his hip, Dimitri raised his fists and charged. He was halfway across the plaza when the man lowered Byleth’s sword, aiming the point at her stomach.

Dimitri’s blood ran cold.

All of a sudden, his limbs locked up in fear and he stumbled to his knees. Unable to move, he watched helplessly as the man thrust the sword into Byleth’s middle, slicing sideways and ripping through her waist.

Dimitri grimaced as a bone-deep pain bloomed in his chest and the ache in his head returned.

_Too late._  
_You failed, again!_  
_Worthless boy._

No! No, they were wrong. Somehow he knew that if he could just get to Byleth, everything would be alright. He could still save her.

Struggling to breathe, Dimitri opened his eyes as the man stood up and grinned at him. “Tell that Archbishop of yours that the Agarthans have returned,” he said, just before he disappeared, taking Byleth’s sword with him.

As soon as he was gone, Dimitri scrambled toward where Byleth lay unmoving. The sweet scent of honeysuckle, fouled by the rank odor of smoke and blood, reached his nose as he pulled her into his lap. “Professor! Professor, wake up!”

She was unresponsive.

“Professor, please,” he said, willing her to open her eyes.

Her eyes remained closed.

Dimitri choked back a sob as he pushed her hair back behind her ear. No, she couldn’t be dead, could she? It was unfathomable. Impossible. Other than the soot smeared on her skin, she looked as peaceful as if she were sleeping.

Suddenly, he was struck by the possibility that perhaps she was still alive, just unconscious.

Yes, that was it, but… His stomach sank as he glanced down to see the wound in her side bleeding profusely.

Without a second thought, Dimitri tore the cape from his breastplate and held it against her, but it was soaked through in a matter of seconds. It was useless. He was useless. She needed a healer, but Mercedes was-

_It’s valuable for everyone to know a bit of healing magic, I think._

Dimitri looked down at his hands as the memory of an afternoon choir practice surfaced in his mind. Oh Goddess, could he really do this? Byleth’s life depended on him, and if he failed…

Regardless, he had to try.

Dimitri’s arms shook as he pushed slippery organs back inside Byleth’s torso. Summoning all the faith he could muster for such an indifferent Goddess, he covered the wound with his hands and murmured the words that he hoped would heal her flesh.

He nearly wept with relief when a faint white light emanated from the palms of his gauntlets. But his elated feeling disappeared when he removed his hands to find the wound the same as before.

Desperate, Dimitri ripped off his gauntlets and tried again. The light shone stronger, but blood continued to gush between his fingers. Why?! Why wasn’t it working?!

Growing frantic, he wrapped his cape around Byleth as tightly as he could, then scooped her up in his arms. Carrying her the same as he had done the day before she presented, Dimitri raced down the hillside, searching for Mercedes.

He caught sight of her as he came to the end of the street. She was kneeling at the edge of the forest, tending to several sane-looking villagers, but she stood and began to run out to meet him when she heard her name.

“Mercedes! Mercedes, heal her! I can’t-” Dimitri yelled, voice breaking as he dropped to his knees in the middle of the corpse-littered field. He lay Byleth down gently, but remained hovering over her, unwilling to let her go.

Goddess, if she died…

No, she wouldn’t. Couldn’t. He wouldn’t let her. He lov-

Just then, someone grabbed Dimitri’s shoulder and pushed him back onto his rear. Catching himself with his hands, he felt the mud squish between his blood-covered fingers as he glared at the one who had dared to separate him from Byleth. “Damn it, Mercedes! Heal her!”

“I’m trying!” she yelled, pulling his cape away from Byleth’s stomach. With a determined look on her face, Mercedes put her hands to the wound. A brilliant white light shone from her palms, yet when she pulled away the wound was still there.

“Mercedes, what are you doing?” he shouted at her as she raised her bloody hands to her mouth. “Why won’t you heal her?”

Slowly, Mercedes turned to face him and he saw she had tears in her eyes. “Dimitri… She’s gone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 13 will be posted on **May 4th**. 
> 
> Up next in Chapter 13: A revelation


	14. Chapter 13

“Dimitri… She’s gone.”

“What? What do you mean, she’s- No, Mercedes, please!” Moving onto his knees, Dimitri leaned over Byleth’s body, grabbed Mercedes by the shoulders, and shook her. “You have to do something! Please, you have to heal her!”

“I can’t!” Mercedes said, twisting out of his grip.

He fell forward and beat his fist into the blood-soaked earth. “Please!”

“Dimitri… You can’t heal someone that’s already dead,” Mercedes said softly.

Dimitri looked over his shoulder at Byleth’s pale face and he felt the truth of Mercedes’ words cut into his heart. That was why his feeble attempts to heal her had failed. She had died before he could reach her.

_We told you!  
You were too late.  
And you let the bastard get away!_

Distantly, he heard footsteps splashing towards him and a muffled voice said something above his head.

_I’m disappointed in you, kid.  
What use are you, anyways?  
You should have_-

Suddenly, there was a sharp tug on his shoulders. Dimitri’s head snapped up to look directly into a pair of green eyes. “Are you injured?” Dedue asked sternly.

Dimitri took a few breaths as his mind worked to understand those words. Was he injured?

No, he wasn’t.

But… Dear Goddess, how could Dedue even worry about him when Byleth was…

Hot tears welled up in Dimitri’s eyes and a choked sob escaped his throat. Unable to speak, he shook his head and leaned forward into Dedue’s chest to hide his dwindling composure.

Softly, Dedue wrapped his arms around Dimitri and held him until his breathing was steady, then began to pull him to his feet. “Come on, Your Highness. We cannot stay here,” he said, trying to guide Dimitri away from Byleth.

Dimitri wrenched himself out of Dedue’s grip and turned to look at Byleth again. What was that man thinking?! They couldn’t just leave her alone out here, lying in the mud with the rest of these unnamed corpses. It was… It was just all _wrong_.

“Your Highness, we must go. It isn’t safe.”

Ignoring Dedue, he snatched up his cape and set to wrapping it around Byleth once more. When it was securely fastened around her wound, he knelt down and picked her up again. After one last mournful glance, he steeled himself to face the rest of his classmates and began heading towards the forest.

Annette let out a shriek as they approached. “Oh no, oh no, oh no! Is that- The professor’s not- Is she?”

Dimitri took a deep breath and forced himself to say it. “Dead.”

“No, she can’t be…” Ashe said, shaking his head.

“Shit.” Felix glanced over Dimitri’s shoulder at the burning town behind him. “What about Captain Jeralt?”

“Dead.”

“You can’t be serious!” Sylvain said. “Oh man, this is… It’s… Fuck!”

“What do we do now?” Ingrid asked.

Dimitri did his best to speak in an even tone. He knew his classmates were relying on him to take control of the situation. “You should fly back to the monastery. Tell Lady Rhea what happened. We’ll be right behind you.”

“Yeah… Yeah, that makes sense,” Ingrid said to herself, nodding as she mounted her pegasus. “Okay, I’ll see you guys when you get there.” A great gust of wind blew flecks of mud out of Byleth’s hair as the pegasus unfolded its wings and rose above the treetops.

On Dimitri’s right, Mercedes sniffled and turned to speak to the surviving villagers. “Come on, everyone. We’ll escort you to the monastery.”

* * *

Their group made for a solemn sight as they traveled through the forest. Exhausted and bloody, they shuffled mindlessly forward. In relative privacy at the back of the procession, Dimitri allowed himself a moment to grieve.

Heart aching, he gazed down at Byleth’s face as they passed through the dappled sunlight. It was still hard to believe she was gone. Even now, as she grew cold, he could imagine that she was simply sleeping in his arms. Soon she would open her eyes, or maybe smile at him, or-

Oh Goddess, her smile.

Dimitri swallowed a whimper as a fresh wave of tears sprung to his eyes. He would never see her smile again. Never hear her laugh. This would be the last time he would hold her.

At that realization, he hugged her tighter to his chest. What a fool he was. He had been naïve enough to believe that she would simply wait for him to fulfill his duty to his family. He’d taken it for granted that she would still be there if he survived.

But this world was a dangerous place. She had enemies of her own, and he hadn’t been there to protect her. If only he could do it all over again, he would never leave her side.

Once upon a time, he might have begged the Goddess to give him another chance to do things right.

But not anymore.

If the last four years had taught him anything, it was that making appeals to the Goddess was a waste of time. She had no agency in this world. Either that, or she did not exist at all. The only other alternative was too horrible to contemplate.

What kind of cruel Goddess would allow those people to commit such terrible crimes? The Flame Emperor, the Death Knight, the Agarthans, and all their other ‘associates,’ whoever they may be…

_You must destroy them!  
For what they’ve done to us…  
Tear those monsters to shreds!_

Yes, monsters. That was what they were.

Trampling mercilessly over innocent lives.

They deserved a gruesome end.

* * *

Dimitri stoked the fires of vengeance for the rest of the journey. By the time the Blue Lions reached the monastery, his grief had built into a smoldering rage and he was ready to lash out at the first target that presented itself.

It was therefore unlucky that Lady Rhea, Seteth, and Flayn met them at the front gates.

Still holding Byleth’s corpse, Dimitri glared at each of them in turn. The Archbishop welcomed the surviving townspeople with empty words and a false frown. Seteth simply stood there, his expression as callous as ever. And Flayn almost looked, dare he say it, _happy_.

It was revolting.

The villagers were led away by a group of monks and Lady Rhea turned to address the Blue Lions instead. “You poor children have been through much today. Please, do not worry about arrangements for your dear Professor. We will take care of everything.”

Dimitri scowled at her. Oh, they would take care of everything, would they? Was Lady Rhea so eager to put Byleth in the ground that she wouldn’t even pretend to mourn her?

Rhea gave a slight nod, which was Seteth’s cue to step forward. His voice was neutral and businesslike as he said, “Give her to me, Dimitri.”

Instinctively, Dimitri’s face twisted into a snarl and a low growl tore through his throat. That cur would not take Byleth from him! She deserved to be laid to rest by someone that actually cared about her!

Seteth recoiled in shock, eyes wide and uncertain how to proceed.

Lady Rhea, on the other hand, seemed unphased by Dimitri’s outburst. In fact, her lips curved upward ever so slightly as she spoke to him. “Dimitri, please come with me. The rest of you are dismissed.” Without waiting to see if he would follow, she turned around and began walking away.

Dimitri gave a huff of frustration but begrudgingly followed after her, Seteth and Flayn falling into step behind him.

The four of them exchanged no words as they made their way through the monastery grounds. Curious onlookers gawked at Byleth’s battered corpse and Dimitri glowered at them all. Was he the only one that had even a shred of respect for the dead?

Thankfully the crowd had thinned by the time they reached the bridge. A pair of guards nodded their permission to cross, and Lady Rhea led their group through the gate on the other side.

The cathedral itself was silent and still. No choirs sang, no faithful worshippers prayed. Other than their steady footsteps, the only movement was the dust motes floating in the shadow of the stained-glass window.

At the altar, Rhea took a left and Dimitri felt his anger wane slightly in favor of curiosity. Did she mean to lay Byleth to rest in the Holy Mausoleum?

Sure enough, their silent procession continued past row after row of stone coffins until they stood before the sarcophagus that had held the Sword of the Creator.

They paused and Lady Rhea turned to face him, her hands clasped demurely at her waist. “Prince Dimitri, before we proceed, you must swear on your life that you will tell no one of this.”

A wave of fierce determination swept over him. If he must be sworn to secrecy in order to lay Byleth to rest himself, then so be it. “I swear it.”

Lady Rhea nodded to Seteth, and together they rotated the two sculptures that framed the sarcophagus. With a grating noise, the wall behind the coffin opened up to reveal a stone stairway, dimly lit by a soft green light.

Without another word, Lady Rhea and Seteth descended. Dimitri exchanged an uncertain glance with Flayn, then made his way down as well.

They emerged onto a platform at one end of a long chamber. Strange blue flames danced in the sconces scattered about the room, illuminating the cracks and chips in the stones that paved the floor. Against the far wall, a short flight of stairs led up to a dais that held nothing except for an enormous stone throne.

Still holding Byleth, Dimitri followed Rhea down into the center of the chamber, glancing around curiously. More coffins lined these walls, although they looked much older than the ones in the mausoleum above. “What is this place?”

“Long ago, after the Goddess healed the land but before she returned to the Blue Sea Star, she rested upon this very throne,” Rhea said, beginning to climb the stairs to the dais. “It is said that while she slumbered, her corporeal form was restored. I have reason to believe that our dear Professor may be able to be revived in such a manner.”

Dimitri paused at the foot of the steps. A flutter of hope rose up in his chest and he looked down at Byleth’s face once more. Was Lady Rhea going to attempt to resurrect her? He swallowed the lump in his throat and glanced up at the Archbishop, who now stood at the top of the stairs.

She only gestured for him to proceed. “Place her upon the throne, Dimitri, and perhaps we shall witness the Goddess’s divine power at work.”

Pulse racing, he carried Byleth up the stairs with deliberate, measured steps. Gently, he set her in the massive seat of the throne so that she was curled up on her side, then stepped back to allow Rhea to approach her.

With a soft smile on her face, she put her hands to the wound in Byleth’s stomach and muttered the words of a healing spell.

Dimitri watched, mesmerized, as a blinding white light shone, not just from the Archbishop’s hands, but from Byleth’s whole body. For one brief moment, she seemed to glow brighter than the stars, brighter than the hottest fire.

The light faded and Dimitri was left holding his breath as he watched Byleth for any sign of life.

At first, nothing appeared to be different and he felt his heart sink in his chest. Why had he allowed himself to get his hopes up? It only hurt more to be-

Then his heart skipped a beat as Byleth’s eyes fluttered open. She stared vacantly for a moment, then her gaze focused on his face and she smiled.

She smiled.

Feeling lightheaded, Dimitri fell to his knees before the throne. Goddess above, it was a miracle. A real, genuine miracle.

“Dimitri…?”

Goddess, just hearing her voice again was enough to make tears of happiness spill from his eyes.

“Where…?” Byleth winced as she tried to push herself up to look around.

“You are safe, dear Professor,” Rhea said from over Dimitri’s shoulder. “Rest now. You are home.”

Byleth’s eyes fell shut and she sighed softly as she drifted off to sleep.

A resounding silence filled Dimitri’s ears as he tried to convince himself he had not just hallucinated the whole event. Slowly, he reached out with his blood-stained hand and took hold of her own.

It was warm.

She was alive.

“It seems your suspicions were correct,” Seteth said.

Dimitri jumped in surprise and hurriedly pushed himself up to his feet, but found he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Byleth. Instead he stared, watching the gentle rise and fall of her shoulders, afraid that if he looked away it would stop.

“I admit, when you told me, I had not dared to hope that they were true,” Seteth continued. “Is this not wonderful news, Flayn?”

“I- Yes! Wonderful!” Flayn said, her voice strained with repressed emotion. “I am so… very happy!”

“Yes, after so long, she is restored to us. We shall see how the professor fares once she wakes.” Dimitri felt Rhea put a hand on his shoulder and he forced himself to face her. “Thank you for bringing her back to us, Prince Dimitri.”

Not trusting himself to speak, he nodded in response.

“Once you are rested, please see me in the audience chamber. I would like a full report on the mission,” she said, steering Dimitri towards the exit.

A pang of fear, dulled by shock, ran through him and he glanced back at Byleth once more. “What about-”

“Worry not, Dimitri. I will have someone watch over her. You are dismissed.”

He may be dismissed, but he still didn’t want to leave Byleth. What if he woke up and found that it had all been nothing but a pleasant dream? If that was the case, he wanted to stay as long as possible. “Please, Lady Rhea, might I be the one to watch over her? I swear, I-”

Rhea’s hand clamped down harder on his shoulder as she practically pushed him onto the staircase. “I will put my most trusted knights on her guard. She will be well taken care of, I promise you that.”

Swallowing heavily, Dimitri allowed himself one last look at Byleth. The Goddess had returned her to him. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it. But he found he could no longer deny her existence. He would endure this test of faith. “Very well.”

“Rest well, Prince Dimitri. I will inform you when she wakes.”

Reluctantly, Dimitri made his way across the cracked tile floor. On the platform, he paused to look back at where Lady Rhea, Seteth, and Flayn stood gathered around the throne, before he ascended the stairs to the silent cathedral.

* * *

Byleth’s senses returned to her slowly.

The first thing she noticed was that her body felt lighter and hurt less than it had in ages. The next was the smell of clean sheets, coated in the honeysuckle scent she had grown accustomed to over the last month. And then she registered the sound of muffled voices coming from somewhere nearby.

“…for three days! Please, let me see her!”

“I’m sorry, Dimitri. Lady Rhea said no visitors.”

Dimitri…

Still half asleep, Byleth smiled and hugged her pillow as that name brought to mind a pair of blue eyes. Or was it only one? For some reason, the idea of Dimitri wearing an eyepatch seemed burned into her brain.

But that was just silly. It must be something from a dream.

A yawn rose from Byleth’s lungs as she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Taking a leisurely moment to stretch her limbs, she turned to look out her window, but she froze with her arms above her head. Based on the strength of the sunlight coming into the room, she was almost certainly late for class!

As quickly as she could, Byleth jumped out of bed, shucked off her sleepwear, and got dressed. Mind whirring, she combed her fingers through her hair as she headed towards the door. If she skipped breakfast, maybe she’d make it to the classroom before anybody noticed she was-

She stopped short when the door opened to reveal two church soldiers, standing with their backs to her. The one on the right turned around to face her and she saw that he wore a beaming smile. “Greetings, Professor!”

Byleth blinked at him in shock. Why was the gatekeeper guarding her door?

“Look at you, back on your feet! It is a relief, I must say.”

“I… Um… What?”

“Oh, I’m supposed to tell you just sit tight! I’ve got to go fetch Lady Rhea.” Without waiting for a response, the gatekeeper spun around and walked off.

Confused, Byleth watched the other guard step over to stand right in the center of the doorframe, blocking her path. “Hey, listen, I’ve got to go teach, so if you could just-”

“Lady Rhea’s orders are that you stay here,” he said without turning around.

Byleth sighed in resignation and stepped back into her room, closing the door and taking a seat on her bed. She was unlikely to get in trouble for being late to class if Lady Rhea wanted her to stay in her room, but why did she have guards at her door? Was there something going on? Was she forgetting about something?

Closing her eyes, Byleth thought back to yesterday’s events. She had told Lady Rhea about the Flame Emperor, and then they went out on that mission to Ludgate Village. The buildings were on fire and the townspeople were crazy… The Death Knight was there, and then she found Tomas, but he wouldn’t-

_I’m not Tomas._

A sudden panic squeezed her chest as she realized she had to tell someone that Tomas wasn’t who he said he was! Eyes wide, Byleth raced back to her door.

She flung it open again, expecting to have to push her way past that guard, but instead she was met by Lady Rhea, standing there with her fist raised as though she had been about to knock.

“Ah, good morning,” Rhea said, a slight smile on her lips. “How are you-”

“I need to tell you about Tomas!” Byleth blurted out.

Her smile faded into a sad frown. “I am aware that he is missing. I have sent the knights to search-”

“No! He’s one of them! One of the- the- like Monica!”

A twinge of anger crossed over Rhea’s features, but it passed almost as quickly as it came. “I see… It seems we have much to discuss. May I come in?”

Belatedly, Byleth realized she was speaking to the Archbishop out on the stoop. She gave an embarrassed nod and swept her arm in front of her to show Rhea inside.

“You are no doubt aware that the Church of Seiros does not operate unopposed,” Rhea said, taking a seat in the chair.

Byleth nodded, closed the door, and sat down on her bed once more.

“Among our foes are the Agarthans, a group of dark mages that have scorned the Goddess since time immemorial.” Rhea looked down and took a moment to smooth her skirt. “I had suspected they were the ones behind the attacks on the monastery this year, but one of the enemies at Ludgate Village confirmed it before he fled. I can only assume that he was the man masquerading as Tomas.”

“So Monica and Tomas… Do you think the Flame Emperor and the Death Knight are Agarthans too?”

“No. They hide their faces because they cannot change them as the Agarthans can. However, it appears that they do have some sort of alliance with each other.” Rhea shook her head and sighed heavily. “I do not know why they have chosen now to act, but that is not what I came here to discuss.”

Byleth shifted her weight, suddenly feeling impatient. What did Rhea want to talk to her about? Was she finally about to learn why she had no heartbeat? Why she could turn back time?

Rhea clasped her hands together in her lap and fixed Byleth with a steady gaze. “Professor, I believe that you share a special bond with the Goddess. I could sense it when you arrived here at Garreg Mach, and the evidence has only increased over time.”

Byleth froze, her thoughts racing through every instance when she had turned back time. She didn’t think she had let anything slip that would have revealed her power, but just in case… “Evidence?” she asked cautiously.

“Yes, Professor. Your ability to wield the Sword of the Creator without its crest stone, your unusually late presentation as an Omega, and now, most recently, that I was able to bring you back from death.”

What?! Byleth shook her head quickly to make sure she was awake. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“During the conflict at Ludgate Village, the man you knew as Tomas took your life and stole the Sword of the Creator from your corpse.”

Byleth simply blinked at her. This was just getting weirder and weirder.

“Your students brought you back to the monastery, and I was able to restore you to life,” Rhea said. “There is no stronger indication that the Goddess has chosen to bestow her blessing on you.”

Gaze falling to her feet, Byleth tried to process what she had just learned. The fact that she had some sort of connection to the Goddess was, frankly, not a surprise. She could turn back time, why not be immortal too? But _why_? Why _her_?

The Archbishop cleared her throat and Byleth looked up to see Rhea leaning forward, watching her intently. “Tell me Professor, do you recall anything between the events of Ludgate Village and when you woke this morning? Any visions or sounds?”

“Um…” Byleth wracked her brain and found only a black hole between the plaza in Ludgate Village and waking up today. She met Rhea’s gaze and shook her head.

“Are you certain? Even a single word could be of vital importance.”

She flipped through her memories one more time, but to no avail. “No, I’m sorry,” she said with a shrug.

“Hm, I had hoped you might receive a revelation from the Goddess,” Rhea said, sitting up straight once more. “I cannot deny my disappointment, but it is no fault of yours. The Goddess can be fickle at the best of times.”

From what Byleth remembered of her conversations with Sothis, that was a bit of an understatement.

“If you do remember anything, please let me know at once,” Rhea said. “And… Before I leave you, there is something else you must know.”

Spine straightening and muscles tightening apprehensively, Byleth braced herself for some other comment about her power.

“It was not just your life that was lost during the mission in Ludgate Village. I regret to inform you that Captain Jeralt was also killed.”

“What?” Her father? Dead? No, it couldn’t be. This must be some sort of cruel joke.

Byleth looked to Rhea, waiting for her to deliver the punch line, but what she said was, “The students reported that he fell in single combat with the Death Knight.”

Byleth put a hand to her head to steady herself as the world seemed to simultaneously both stop and start spinning. The Death Knight… She had only left them alone because she had been so sure her father would win, but he-

She had left him alone. She _left _him. And now he was…

“I am so sorry, Professor. We have buried him…”

Rhea’s voice devolved into a mumbled, incoherent jumble as a ringing tone dominated Byleth’s ears. She couldn’t let this happen. She had to go back. She had to save him!

A painful pressure built in Byleth’s chest as she concentrated intently on the conversation the Blue Lions had just before the fighting began. That ought to be far enough back to set things right. They could all stay together, avoid the Death Knight, and she could warn them about Tomas.

Feeling confident in her plan, she let the pressure release and felt the winds of time blow across her skin.

“Greetings, Professor!”

Byleth froze and fear set into her bones. This wasn’t right.

The gatekeeper stood in front of her door, smiling pleasantly and looking for all the world like her father hadn’t just died the day before. “Look at you, back on your feet! It is a relief, I must say.”

Byleth stared at him while she tried to understand why she hadn’t gone back far enough. She must have made some sort of mistake. She would just have to try again.

The pressure in her chest grew and she focused entirely on picturing herself back in the forest outside Ludgate Village.

“Oh, I’m supposed to tell you to-”

“Greetings, Professor!”

No! A whimper crawled up her throat and she tried again. And again. And again.

“Greetings, Prof-”

“Greet-”

“Greet-”

“Greetings, Professor!”

Her strength drained, Byleth fell to her knees in the doorway. The ache in her chest spread until she couldn’t draw breath and she banged her fists on the floor in frustration.

“Look at- Oh gosh, are you okay?” the gatekeeper asked.

Was she okay? No, she wasn’t okay! She couldn’t breathe, her eyes stung, her father was dead, and she couldn’t go back to save him!

Byleth’s vision grew blurry and mucus dripped from her nose as the gatekeeper put a soft hand on her back. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said, patting her shoulder gently. “It’ll be alright.”

Why would he say that?! It wasn’t alright, not unless he could help her save her father from the Death Knight! But it was beginning to sink in that she might not be able to go back any further. She might not be able to fix it.

Byleth felt a foreign sensation behind her eyes, and then a moment later the tears burst forth, running down her cheeks in a steady stream.

“I’ll just- I won’t be gone long, just hang on, Professor.”

Byleth sniffed and wiped the dampness from her eyes as the gatekeeper’s footsteps retreated. There just had to be a way. She knew it. If she kept trying, she could fix it. Maybe… Maybe she just had to try harder.

The splitting pain in her chest grew unbearable as she tried once more to turn back time.

The last thing she heard before she collapsed was the gatekeeper’s familiar greeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. My work is actually getting busier right now, so chapter 14 will be posted on **June 1st**. It was a struggle to get this chapter ready to post in time, but I couldn't just leave you guys on "She's gone." Anyway, I'm trying to treat my writing like a marathon, instead of a sprint. I hope you will understand.
> 
> Up next in Chapter 14: I try my hand at some hurt/comfort


	15. Chapter 14

Dimitri was still pacing back and forth in front of the dormitory when the sun began to set. He’d been out there wearing a hole in the cobblestones ever since that morning when he heard that Byleth had finally woken, only to fall unconscious again immediately afterwards. The latest news had come an hour ago when Lady Rhea dismissed the guards; she told him Byleth was awake again, but that was all that was said.

The minutes since then had dragged on for an eternity and, after three anxious days of waiting, Dimitri had almost reached his breaking point.

It was common knowledge that Alphas had a tendency to worry excessively about the Omegas they cared for, but he hadn’t expected it to be quite this bad. He’d barely slept the last three nights, kept awake by what he could only describe as this constant itching sensation crawling through his limbs. He felt like if he stayed still, he would slowly be driven mad.

Hence, he was pacing.

Dimitri had just turned around to start his route back towards the greenhouse again when he heard the sound of a door opening. Looking up hopefully, he saw Lady Rhea emerging from Byleth’s room and he ran to meet her at the edge of the walkway. “How is she?”

“She is well enough,” Rhea said as she stepped down the stairs and began walking towards the training grounds.

Desperate for any information about Byleth, Dimitri trailed after her. “And she knows about… everything?”

Rhea nodded. “She does.”

“How did she take the news?”

“As well as one can, although she barely reacted when I told her about Jeralt’s death.”

Dimitri’s shoulders sank as he sighed. He knew from experience how such trauma could affect one’s state of mind. “May I see her?”

At that, Rhea stopped and turned to face him, her lips curving up into a slight smile. “Please do. I have a feeling it would do her good.”

A strange mixture of excitement and apprehension bubbled up in Dimitri’s stomach as he gave a hasty bow, then turned around and bounded up the steps to Byleth’s door. Swallowing nervously, he raised his fist and knocked.

“Come in.”

Slowly, Dimitri opened the door to see Byleth sitting up in her bed, a pillow behind her back and her hands lying on top of the blanket that covered her lap. “Hello, Professor. How are you feeling?”

“Hi, Dimitri. I’m fine.”

Dimitri studied her carefully as he made his way into the room. If he was being honest, she didn’t seem ‘fine.’ Her voice was flat and her eyes were blank and empty. “May I?” he asked, gesturing to the chair at her bedside.

She nodded.

He sat down and began tapping his heel. Seeing Byleth had eased his mind considerably, but he longed to hold her, just to reassure himself that she was truly alright. Repressing the urge to pull her into his arms, he clasped his hands together in his lap and watched for her reaction to what he was about to say.

“I um… I just wanted to say that… I am so sorry about what happened to Jeralt. If you want for anything, a willing ear, a shoulder to cry on, or… or anything else, please know that I am here for you.”

Byleth gave him a tepid smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Thank you.”

Dimitri looked at her and sighed. Byleth was clearly hurting and his heart ached for her. He knew there was nothing he could do or say that would take away her pain, but he could at least make sure she took care of herself while she endured it. “I was wondering if… Would you… care to join me in the dining hall for a late supper?”

She shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”

Dimitri believed her. He knew well how shock and grief could steal one’s appetite, but she had been asleep for three full days. She needed nourishment. “Professor… When was the last time you ate anything?”

Her forehead wrinkled as she thought. “I had… breakfast that morning. Porridge…” She blinked and looked up at him. “Oh, I promised you dinner, didn’t I?”

Dimitri startled as he remembered that she had. It seemed like so long ago that he had run into her in the dining hall, but it was only yesterday for her. “Well, yes, but that’s not why I-”

“Hold on, just let me…” Byleth pushed the covers back and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She ran a hand through her hair as she looked around on the floor. “Boots…”

Dimitri got up to help her search. Finding her boots sitting next to the wardrobe, he grabbed them and held them up. “These?”

Still seated on the bed, Byleth nodded and reached out to take them from him, but Dimitri knelt down and motioned for her to lift her leg. First one foot and then the other, he carefully slid the boots on over her tights.

“There.” Dimitri brushed his palms on the side of his trousers as he stood up, then offered her his hand. “Shall we?”

Byleth took it and he helped her up, but her knees gave out as she stood. Instinctively, he caught her and pulled her forward against his chest.

He held her tightly for a long moment and nestled his nose in her hair. Inhaling deeply, he felt a wave of peace settle over him as the restless energy in his limbs finally subsided. Goddess, what a gift it was to hold her again. Now if only she would let him kiss-

“Oh, sorry. I’m just… tired,” Byleth mumbled into his shirt.

Clearing his throat, Dimitri lifted his head and fixed his gaze on the wall behind Byleth. “Uh, no- no need to apologize, Professor. But, on second thought, maybe I should just bring you something to eat.”

He felt, more than saw, Byleth shake her head. “No, I said I’d go. I’m fine now,” she said, pulling back to stand on her own.

Dimitri sighed and smiled sadly as he loosened his hold on her. Despite everything, she was still as stubborn as ever. “Hm, very well.” Wrapping an arm around her waist in case she felt faint again, they headed to the dining hall under the soft light of the setting sun.

Once inside, he deposited Byleth at a table and went to fetch their plates. He returned to find her surrounded by Sylvain, Ingrid, Felix, and Flayn.

“I simply cannot believe you are alive again!” Flayn said as Dimitri sat down and put Byleth’s dinner in front of her.

“Yeah, you had us worried there for a minute,” Sylvain said.

Byleth picked up her fork and absent-mindedly pushed it into a piece of potato. She lifted it up and stared at it for a moment, before turning her gaze towards Sylvain. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” she asked vacantly.

“I said-”

“There’s nothing you need to be sorry for, Professor,” Ingrid said, elbowing Sylvain out of the way. “We understand this must be a difficult time for you right now. We just wanted you to know that we are so, so sorry about Captain Jeralt.”

“Oh… Thanks,” Byleth said.

“He was the only family you have ever known, was he not?” Flayn asked. “It is sad that you have lost him, and yet… perhaps it is deserved. Surely those _you_ have killed had families of their own.”

A sudden swell of guilt washed over Dimitri as he chewed a bite of his dinner. That soldier from the rebellion two years ago, the one with the blonde hair in his locket… Had Dimitri left a wife without a husband? A daughter without a father?

“Wow, Flayn. That was pretty insensitive,” Ingrid said.

“Oh, was that not appropriate? My apologies, Professor,” Flayn said, patting Byleth on the shoulder gently. “The important thing is that he died thinking of you. Although that was probably what made him lower his guard…”

“O-kay Flayn, that’s enough,” Sylvain said, putting his hands on Flayn’s shoulders and steering her away from the group. “We’ll just be outside.”

“It was merely a thought!” Flayn said as the door closed behind her and Sylvain.

“Hm, what does it matter why he died?” Felix said, shaking his head at Byleth. “Jeralt’s gone. The sooner you can accept that, the sooner you can get back to teaching.”

Ingrid smacked Felix’s arm with the back of her hand. “I think what Felix _meant_ to say is that we missed you, Professor.”

“No, I meant what I said. She’d better come back soon. I can’t take any more of Alois’s horrible jokes.”

“Come on, they aren’t that bad, are they?” Dimitri said, swallowing the food he had in his mouth. “I find that some of them are even kind of funny. What was the one he said the other day? Something about… bandits?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Without further ado, Felix turned around and walked off towards the garden.

Now standing alone, Ingrid fidgeted with her hands in front of her waist. “Anyway… We’re just glad to see you up and about, Professor. We’ll uh… leave you to your dinner.”

Dimitri watched Byleth as Ingrid left the dining hall. He tried to gauge whether Flayn and Felix’s tactless words had made her feel even worse, but she seemed the same as before. Numb. Empty. Almost as expressionless as the day they met.

He sighed and turned back to his food.

The rest of dinner was a mostly-silent affair. Byleth didn’t seem interested in talking, so Dimitri didn’t coax her to speak. He was just grateful that she was eating, although she did so with none of her usual zeal. They were just finishing up when Dimitri felt the need to say something himself.

“Professor, about what Felix said… We do miss you greatly, but don’t feel like you need to get back to teaching right away. I don’t think it’s a sign of strength to just keep moving forward. Taking time to grieve for those we’ve lost… I think there’s strength in that, too.”

Byleth set her fork down and looked up to meet his eye. “Thank you, Dimitri. That… helps."

He gave her a small smile, glad that he could give her even a sliver of comfort. “Of course, Professor. I’ll just take care of these,” he said, standing up and gathering their plates.

She nodded and yawned as he headed towards the kitchen to return their dirty dishes.

By the time he made it back to the table, Byleth was fast asleep, leaning forward with her head pillowed on her arms. He smiled, thinking that she must truly be exhausted to fall asleep in the dining hall. “Come on, Professor. Let’s get you to bed,” he said softly as he scooped her up in his arms.

In the evening twilight, he carried her back to her room. Closing the door gently, he laid her on the bed, curled up on her side. He removed her boots and put them back where he found them, then covered her with the blanket she had been under earlier.

Stepping back, Dimitri glanced over at the door. It would be improper if he stayed, but just the thought of leaving Byleth brought back that phantom itch in his limbs. He looked at the chair at her bedside. Surely it would be alright if he just sat with her for a while.

He took a seat again, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he watched Byleth’s shoulders rise and fall with her breath. How lucky he was that the Goddess had seen fit to give him a second chance to be with her. He had promised that if he could do it all over again, he would never leave her side but…

But when this year at the academy was done, he would have to return to Fhirdiad to claim his rightful place on the throne.

If only he could take her with him.

Dimitri smiled wistfully as he imagined what it would be like living in the castle with Byleth. All year-round, they’d feast in the banquet hall and waltz in the ballroom. In the summer, the garden would be full of blooms that she could tuck behind her ear if she so desired. And in the winter, the fire would keep their bedchamber so warm that they could simply fall asleep nude after they-

Dimitri felt himself twitch in his trousers and quickly shoved those thoughts to the side. This certainly wasn’t the time nor place to be thinking about anything like that. Besides, for him, such a pleasant, peaceful life was merely a fantasy.

Until he fulfilled his duty to his family, the only thing in his future was more fire and blood. And Byleth had no place in that. If he brought her home with him it would only put her in greater danger. As much as it pained him to admit it, refusing to indulge his desire to be with her was still the best way to protect her.

But for now, he would watch over her, while he still could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was so short! Chapter 15 will be posted on June 22
> 
> Up next in Chapter 15: A promise is made


	16. Chapter 15

Byleth was fishing.

Not in the pond at the monastery. Somewhere else.

Only it wasn’t a lake, or a river, or an ocean.

It was a puddle.

A lonely puddle, somewhere out in the middle of an endless sea of dry, yellow grass.

Byleth didn’t know what she expected to catch in this puddle, but here she was, waiting patiently for a bite.

Eventually she felt a pull on her line. Taking a step closer, she looked down at the puddle and began to reel in her catch.

As she stared into the murky depths, a shadow rose to the surface. It looked like a fish, swimming around in wriggling circles. She gave a hard tug and yanked it out of the water.

There was a splash and suddenly Byleth wasn’t alone in that field anymore. She was in a tavern, like so many of the ones her father’s mercenaries had patronized whenever they had the coin. The atmosphere was lively and lighthearted and she smiled as she looked around the lantern-lit room.

“Ugh, what a day.” Jeralt sighed and slammed his empty tanker on the bar as he sat down next to Byleth. “Another please,” he said to the man behind the counter.

Byleth turned and looked at her father, for some reason astounded to see him. “What are you doing here?” she asked as she threw her arms around his middle.

Jeralt chuckled and hugged her back. “After a job like that, where else would I be? It was a rough one, wasn’t it?”

As Byleth pulled away, the bartender slid two tankers of ale towards them. She took her drink in her hands, but kept staring at her father. She didn’t know why, but just seeing him made her feel so happy she thought that her heart was about to burst. “I just… can’t believe you’re here.”

“What, you thought those bandits could get the best of me, huh?” Jeralt scoffed and shook his head. “Well you were wrong. I’m just fine. And you were great out there, kid. I’m so proud of you,” he said, raising his ale in a toast.

She smiled and bumped her tanker against his, then lifted it to her lips and took a long drink.

There was a dull thunk as Jeralt set his mug back down on the bar. “Listen, kid… Someday I might not come back from a job, so I’m gonna say this now.”

Byleth wiped the foam from her mouth as her father removed the chain he wore around his neck, pulling a thick silver ring out from beneath his shirt.

“This was the ring I gave your mother when I asked her to marry me. I want you to have it,” he said, letting the chain coil in her outstretched palm. “Now, just in case I’m already gone by the time you’re ready to get hitched, you’ve gotta promise me you’ll give it to someone who makes you happy.”

Byleth looked between the ring in her hand and her father’s face, trying to figure out why he was bringing this up. He wasn’t planning on dying anytime soon, was he?

“Come on,” he said. “I won’t be able to move on unless you promise.”

Byleth grinned. “Well in that case, I won’t. You’ll just have to live forever.”

Jeralt sighed and rolled his eyes. “Humor an old man, will you?”

“Okay, I promise,” she said with mock reluctance as she put the necklace on over her head and tucked the ring beneath her shirt.

He smiled sadly and clapped his hand on her shoulder. “There’s my girl. I love you so much, Byleth.” She thought she saw a tear glisten in her father’s eye, but he blinked it away quickly.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said, waving her hand and trying to lighten the mood. “I don’t know what that was all about, but you’re not going to die for a long, long time, you hear me?”

Except… He had died, hadn’t he?

A chill set over Byleth as she felt her dream start to dissolve. She scrabbled frantically to hold onto it, but even before she opened her eyes, reality came crashing down.

Her father was gone. Dead. And she would never see or speak to him again.

Still half asleep, she whimpered as she curled in on herself, hoping she could just fall back into her dream.

Then a clove-scented hand reached out and landed softly on her shoulder, shaking her gently. “Byleth… Byleth, wake up,” a voice said.

She screwed her eyes shut even tighter, fighting to hold back her tears and trying to block out the voice as she relived snippets of her dream.

_Well you were wrong. I’m just fine.  
I’m so proud of you.  
You’ve gotta promise…  
I love you so-_

“It’s just a nightmare,” the voice continued. “It isn’t real.”

Suddenly the dam burst and all the tears she hadn’t shed that day came pouring out in one conquering wave. Her chest heaved as sob after sob was torn from her throat, the sound somehow registering as both muted and deafening to her ears.

Ignoring all else, she grasped desperately at the fragments of her dream but she could feel them slipping away. The only thing she could think about was that this feeling, whatever it was, was awful. It hurt, physically, like she had taken a kick to the ribs. Like she was shattering from the inside out.

Then there was a creak and the weight on the bed shifted. Strong arms wrapped securely around her back and soft lips pressed lightly against her forehead. A hand stroked her hair soothingly as her hot tears soaked into the academy uniform shirt in front of her.

Byleth continued to cry, not aware enough to know who she was clinging to, but needing something solid to ground her while she broke to pieces.

After a while, her tears slowed and her breathing calmed. The occasional hiccup escaped from her lungs, but eventually she was blessed, or perhaps cursed, with a deep and dreamless sleep.

* * *

Byleth woke the next morning feeling very disoriented. Her head was heavy and foggy, and her eyes were squinted and puffy. A steady thumping sound interplayed with the pulse in her ear and she heard a soft snore that hadn’t come from her.

Slowly, she realized that she had been sleeping with her head on someone’s chest and their arm around her shoulders. She could tell who it was based on the scent in her nose, but she raised her head to confirm.

There in her bed was Dimitri, laying on his back with his mouth slightly open and his hair tousled in front of his eyes. He was sleeping right on the edge of the mattress in a position that couldn’t have been comfortable; he had one leg hanging off the side of the bed.

Byleth’s first thought was that she had gone into heat again, but that was quickly disproven by the fact that they were both fully clothed.

Then she remembered that he had invited her to have dinner with him last night. She hadn’t been hungry, but she went anyway because she had promised him she would.

Byleth didn’t know she had reached for her father’s ring until she realized she couldn’t feel the chain around her neck. A surge of panic shocked her body. Where was it?

Immediately on alert, she sat bolt upright and Dimitri began to stir as she looked around the room. The ring wasn’t on her nightstand or on top of the desk, but maybe she had put it away somewhere?

Pushing herself up onto hands and knees, she tried to get out of bed, but Dimitri’s eyes blinked open as she climbed over him. His body jerked in surprise, pushing Byleth’s hand off the bed and causing her to fall onto his stomach. He let out a yelp as they slid down onto the floor together.

Byleth wasted no time extracting herself from the tangle of limbs, crawling over to the dresser and beginning to rifle through the drawers. She checked beneath her extra tights and underclothes, under shorts and shirts, even in the drawers she knew she didn’t use, becoming more frantic the longer she looked.

Meanwhile, Dimitri righted himself, rubbing his head as he sat back against the bed. “Oh Goddess, Byleth- I mean- Professor, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

She ignored him, moving on to search the wardrobe. She yanked the doors open and pushed her coat to the side. Pieces of armor clattered onto the floor as she stuck her hand into the shadows at the back of each of the shelves, but she found no ring. Where was it? Where had she put it?

“Professor? Is everything alright?”

Byleth lowered her head to the floor and scanned beneath the furniture. She found lots of dust and several stray buttons, but still no ring. Her eyes widened and her breaths grew shorter and faster as she pushed herself back up and grabbed one of her boots. She turned it upside down and shook it. Nothing fell out, so she threw it across the room and grabbed the other one. She was about to chuck it against the door too, when a hand caught her wrist and held her still.

“Woah, Professor! What’s-”

Byleth let out a frustrated growl as she tried to free her arm, but Dimitri’s grip held fast. She brought her other hand up, fingernails scratching at his knuckles, but he grabbed that wrist too.

“Byleth!”

With both arms restrained, she writhed helplessly, desperate to keep searching. She had to find that ring, she just had to!

“Byleth, stop! Look at me!”

Something about Dimitri’s voice made her freeze instantly, her head snapping up to meet his eye. It took her a few seconds to understand the look on his face, but she felt her chest tighten when she recognized it as concern. Realizing that she had made him worry about her, she let the boot fall from her grasp. It hit the floor with a soft clunk.

“Tell me what’s going on,” he said gently, his grip loosening and shifting until he held her hands instead.

Byleth’s mouth worked soundlessly for a moment until her vocal cords could catch up. “I- I have to find it…”

“Find what?”

“My father, he gave me- I promised him-”

Dimitri sighed and the worry in his eyes softened into understanding. “Whatever it is, I’ll help you look for it. Where should we start?”

Looking down at where Dimitri held her hands in his, Byleth tried to think logically about her predicament. If the ring wasn’t in her room, where would it be? Where else would she have put it?

A moment later, her stomach began to sink as she realized that she wouldn’t have put it anywhere, because her father had never actually given it to her. It was only in her dream. It hadn’t been real. And that meant that he would have been wearing it when he…

Byleth gave a soft whimper and clenched her eyes shut as another round of tears began to form.

“Byleth?” Dimitri asked, squeezing her hands gently. “What is it?”

Eyes still shut, she spoke with a slight tremor in her voice. “I just realized… he would have been buried with it.” That was the only logical explanation for where the ring could be. Either that, or it was stolen from her father’s body before the knights could recover it from Ludgate Village. What other reason could there be for why Lady Rhea hadn’t returned it to her?

Dimitri sighed. “I’m sorry.”

Byleth took a deep breath as well and wiped the moisture from her eyes. “It’s fine,” she said quickly.

“Okay… Well, if you ever want to talk-”

Just then, the clocktower began to chime and Dimitri looked over his shoulder out the window. “Oh, that’s… I should… Uh, it’s time for class, but I’ll come back to check on you later. Will you be alright for a couple of hours?”

“Yeah, sure. I’m fine,” Byleth said, forcing herself to smile at Dimitri as he stood up and straightened his clothes. He gave her a sad smile of his own and held out his hand to pull her up, but she shook her head. “I’m fine here.”

He let his hand fall back to his side, a hint of something sympathetic in his eyes. “Alright. I’ll be back in a little while.”

As Dimitri closed the door behind him, Byleth let herself fall limply onto her side, the smooth planks of the floor cool against her cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know this wasn't much, but it's all I have right now. The next two scenes are close though, so I'm planning to post those next Monday, June 29th. I promise Byleth is about to pull out of her slump a little bit. Thanks for sticking with me.


	17. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a day late! These last few chapters have been difficult to write because they hit so close to home. I really appreciate all your supportive comments. Hopefully the next chapter should be a bit more fun. :)

The next several days passed by in a haze. Byleth seldom left her room on her own, but Dimitri came to check on her daily. He coaxed her out to the dining hall, or sometimes for a silent walk around the monastery grounds. She didn’t know how to tell him, but she appreciated his willingness to be in her company despite her dour mood.

However, Dimitri wasn’t the only one of her students to pay her a visit. One day Dedue brought her some potted lilies, still in bloom despite the approaching winter. On another, Ashe stopped by to lend her a book of stories, although she hadn’t had the energy to read any of them. Instead, Byleth spent her time lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, trying to come to terms with recent events.

One such afternoon, she was dwelling on her promise about her father’s ring. It had only been made in a dream, but it was also the only part of this that actually felt real. In fact, sometimes it seemed like if she just waited long enough, her door would open and her father would be there.

She closed her eyes and she could almost see it. He’d knock on the doorframe, then poke his head into her room and say something like, _Hey kid, sorry I had to go away for so long. I’m home now._

But that was never going to happen. He was gone and he was never coming back.

Byleth sighed and had just rolled over to face the wall when there was a knock on her door. She stiffened as a splash of hope skipped through her veins. Hardly daring to breathe, she sat up and said, “Come in.”

Eyes glued to the door, a sharp pang of disappointment hit her heart as it swung inward to reveal Alois. “Hello, Professor. Do you have a minute?” he asked.

Byleth didn’t really feel like talking but it wasn’t like she was going to do anything else today, so she nodded.

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you about Jeralt,” Alois said as he entered the room and pulled the chair out from the desk. “I would have stopped by sooner, but I’ve just been so busy. Those students of yours are quite the handful!”

“Oh, yeah, they are.” Byleth recalled that Alois had been teaching in her stead, and not too successfully, according to some. Yesterday when they visited for tea, Annette and Mercedes had complained that in the week that Alois had been teaching, he’d neglected to mention magic at all.

“You know, I was raised by Jeralt, just as you were,” Alois said as he sat down, straddling the chair and leaning forward to rest his arms on the back of it. “I remember, when I was a boy, he used to have this magnificent armor. It was pure white like snow and it shone like the sun. Nearly blinded me once or twice!”

Not knowing what to say in response, Byleth simply nodded in acknowledgement.

“Of course, that was back when he was officially the captain. I guess… Yes, that was almost thirty years ago, now. And all that time when he was gone, he didn’t age a day! Can you believe it?” Alois chuckled and shook his head. “Old Jeralt really was one of a kind, wasn’t he?”

“Mhmm,” Byleth said. She began tapping her foot, waiting for Alois to get to the point.

“There was this one time when he and I were out drinking… I was older, but it must have been before I met my wife, because I remember trying to get him to go talk to these women with me, but they weren’t having it! Anyway, I guess that’s not really important to the story. What I was going to say was that-”

“Alois, I hate to interrupt, but was there something you needed?”

He blinked, startled out of his tale. “Huh? Oh no, I just wanted to reminisce about Jeralt for a little bit.”

Byleth felt her face begin to heat as she realized she had just been incredibly rude. “Oh. Sorry, I guess I thought-”

“No, no, nothing to be sorry about,” Alois said as he stood up and stuck his hand in his pocket. “I shouldn’t have assumed that you’d want to hear my stories about him… But I did want to make sure you got this.”

She gasped as Alois withdrew his hand, holding a long chain from which hung her father’s ring. It was the exact same as she had seen in her dream, only now she couldn’t believe her eyes. “What? How…?”

“I found it when we went back to the village after the battle,” he said, stepping forward as she reached out her hand. “I think he would have wanted you to have it.”

Byleth’s vision began to blur as she looked down at the ring in her palm. It was silver, thick yet delicate, with several small blue stones set in a sunburst pattern. And most importantly, it was real. “Thank you, Alois.”

“Sure thing, kid,” he said, clapping a hand on her shoulder. “Say, maybe we could go fishing sometime, you and me? Trade some stories about the old man?”

Glancing up at Alois, Byleth cleared her throat and said, “Yeah, that’d be… good.”

“Great.” Alois smiled as he backed up towards the door. “Well, that’s all I had to say. I’ll see you around, Professor.”

As the door closed, Byleth leaned back on the bed and let the ring dangle in front of her eyes. For the last few days, she had thought that it was lost. Now it was found, and she was undoubtedly relieved, but a bitter resentment began to build in her chest.

The only reason she had this ring was because her father was dead. It wasn’t like she even really wanted it in the first place. It had been forced on her, first in a dream, and now in reality. For crying out loud, it was supposed to be her father’s, not hers, damn it!

Feeling confused and not wanting to deal with it, Byleth threw the ring across the room then hid her face in her hands, tears dripping between her fingers as she heard the chain slide down the wall. Goddess, what was wrong with her? It seemed like all she could do was cry, and she was so tired of crying. She wanted so badly to just be done feeling like this.

Maybe what she needed was a distraction, she thought. Something else, anything else, to keep her mind off her father.

Raising her head, Byleth sniffed and wiped her eyes. Her gaze fell on the pile of gifts from her students: the lilies from Dedue, the book from Ashe, and a package of handmade sweets from Annette and Mercedes.

Perhaps she could go back to teaching. Her students needed her, and she had been away for too long already. She had a responsibility to make sure they were ready for their next exam, after all.

* * *

Crystals of frost, rather than dewdrops, coated the ground when Byleth emerged from her room the next morning. Stepping out onto the lawn in front of the dormitory, she looked up at the thin layer of smoke-grey clouds that hung in the sky. Apparently, winter had taken hold while she hid away from the world, but she had decided that she was done with that now.

She was ready to move on with her life.

With a cleansing sigh, she headed towards the Blue Lions’ classroom. The monastery was quieter than most mornings, but that was to be expected at this hour; it had taken Byleth a little longer than usual to get out of bed that day. She thought that Alois had probably already started class, but it would be easy enough to just take over where he left off.

Outside the classroom, Byleth paused to collect her thoughts. She knew that going back to teaching was what she was supposed to do, but for some reason she was nervous.

That didn’t make any sense though. Why would she be nervous? She had taught in this classroom dozens of times before. It wouldn’t be anything new.

Inhaling deeply, Byleth put her hand on the doorknob and pulled it open.

Inside she saw her students, twisting around to look at her with surprised smiles on their faces. It was a welcome sight, but Byleth froze as her eyes flitted over each of them in turn: Felix and Flayn, Sylvain and Ingrid, Mercedes and Annette, Ashe and Dedue, until her gaze finally reached the front of the room, where Dimitri always sat.

All of a sudden, it hit her that everything was the same as before. All the students were sitting in their usual seats, in their usual clothes, with their usual books, and it was like nothing had changed. She supposed that for them, nothing had. But it occurred to her that the last time she had been in this classroom, her father had still been alive.

Panicked and overwhelmed, Byleth turned around and fled. She managed to hold back her tears until she could reach her room, where she immediately fell onto her bed and slammed her face into the pillow, breathing heavily as she tried to silence her chaotic emotions.

A minute later, there was a knock on the door. Bracing herself for whoever it may be, Byleth took a deep breath and got up to answer it. Seeing that it was Dimitri, Byleth felt shame wash over her and weigh her shoulders down. What a burden she was, making him worry so much that he ran after her.

“May I come in?” he asked softly.

Byleth nodded, but didn’t say anything as she turned around and headed back to her bed. She took a seat and pulled the pillow into her lap, hugging it tightly and looking down at her knees.

Dimitri shut the door behind him, but remained standing in the center of the room. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, causing the floorboards to creak as they each waited for the other to say something.

After a long moment, Byleth broke the silence. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh Professor,” Dimitri sighed. “Must I keep telling you? You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“No, I do,” she insisted. “I’m sorry for being… like this,” she said, gesturing to herself.

“What do you mean?” he asked as he took a step closer.

Byleth’s explanation began slowly, but soon the words were falling out of her mouth faster than she could control. “I mean… that you… that everyone is waiting for me to come back. And I want to, I really do, but I just can’t! I don’t know why. I mean, there’s no physical reason I can’t go in that classroom and teach! No reason I should still be so… so useless! And Alois isn’t teaching any magic, so Annette and Mercedes are falling behind, and it’s all because I can’t get myself together enough to actually-”

“Professor, hey, slow down! It will be alright,” Dimitri said confidently. “Everything will be fine. We understand if you need more time to grieve.”

“I know, but…” Byleth squeezed her eyes shut and exhaled sharply, then looked up at Dimitri, hoping he would have the answer or at least understand what she was going through. “It’s just so frustrating! There are things I want to do, things I need to do, but I can’t! Sometimes it seems like all I can do is lie here and cry! So tell me, how do I stop feeling like this? How do I fix it?”

Dimitri sighed again as he pulled the chair out from the desk. He sat down across from her and leaned forward, looking down at his clasped hands as he began to speak quietly. “Professor, I’ve learned that grief takes a toll on us, even if we can’t see it. I remember that after my father… died… it took me a long time before I felt like doing anything at all.”

Byleth listened intently, desperate to learn anything she could do that might make these feelings end.

“I don’t mean to compare my tragedy to yours,” he continued. “I only mean to say that… that I know what it’s like to lose someone you care about. It’s difficult, and it’s painful, but you have to let yourself experience it in order to get through it.”

Her voice trembled as she asked, “When does it stop?”

“Well…” Dimitri paused and looked up to meet her gaze, his expression so open and full of empathy. “In my experience, the pain never truly disappears. Over time it becomes… dulled. Distant. But it… it’s always there.”

Eyes beginning to water, Byleth whimpered at the discouraging news. Here was Dimitri, who’d had years to grieve his loss, telling her that it was never going to end. It was dismal, depressing, disheartening, and she wanted to feel anything but.

“I’m sorry if that’s not what you wanted to hear but… um, is there anything that I can do to help?”

Byleth shook her head. “No, I just-” she began, but she cut herself off as she realized that there was something that might make her forget her pain. Something that in the past had made all thought vanish from her mind and left her feeling relaxed, or even giddy.

Her eyes jumped to Dimitri’s lips as she recalled the countless kisses that she had stolen and the two that she had allowed herself to freely give.

Yes, that was what she wanted – the spark of his touch, the fire of his kiss, the blissful indulgence of being lost in the moment. Without pausing to weigh the consequences of her words, she asked, “Dimitri, would you kiss me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Byleth and Dimitri share their first intentional, consensual kiss? Find out <del>on July 27th!</del> fall 2020.


End file.
